To See If I'm Smiling
Tuesday, Jan 27
6:00 PM, Lecture Hall 5
Tamar Yarom / 2007 / Israel / 59 min
Israel is the only country in the world where 18-year-old girls are drafted for compulsory military service. In this award-winning documentary, the frank testimonials of six female Israeli soldiers stationed in Gaza and the West Bank pack a powerful emotional punch. The young women revisit their tours of duty in the occupied territories with surprising honesty and strip bare stereotypes of gender differences in the military. The former soldiers share shocking moments of negligence, flippancy, immaturity and power-tripping as they describe atrocities they witnessed and participated in.
The culture of war transforms people: personalities change, moral codes are subverted, values are supplanted and masks are constructed to dull the pain of what they did and didn’t do in uniform. At a time when women in the military are increasingly on the frontlines, and the actions of soldiers all over the world are being questioned, this powerful film explores the ways that gender, ethics and moral responsibility intersect during war.
The psychological transformation that these young women underwent as a result of military service is both upsetting & riveting.
Awards:
Int’l Doc FF Amsterdam (IDFA), Silver Wolf Award and Audience Award
Hot Docs, Special Jury Price
Sarasota FF, Special Documentary Jury Prize
Haifa Int’l FF, Best Documentary
Dokufest, Best Feature Documentary
Israeli Documentary Competition, Best Documentary
Montpellier Festival, Documentary Prize