• Home
  • Meetings
  • Events
  • Blog
  • E-Board
  • Around Boston
NUFEC
.

Brandon Isaacson on Bethlehem

3/7/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture

The depressed tones of director Yuav Adler’s visual palette are the most memorable aspect of Bethlehem. Just a couple still images will show that the colors highlight the experience of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as they elicit the hardened depression of people in constant, seemingly never-ending conflict. There isn’t the usual sense of immediacy when things go awry; shocking events are too normal to really strike these human beings with terror.

Bethlehem is about the relationship between a young Palestinian informant and an Israeli military officer. Moral conflicts related to trust and tribalism arise as the relationship develops. Adler’s approach appears to be an attempted balance of serious introspection on the conflict and exciting plot elements. The entertaining elements unfold like those in espionage thrillers. I’m generally the type of viewer that prefers a film to focus on mundane, small details rather than exciting plot. As a result, Bethlehem’s attempts at watch-ability were more boring than invigorating, however others viewers may react differently.

Tonally, Bethlehem pulses with anger, frustration and sadness. Characters, as always with Israeli-Palestinian conflict, are faced with impossible moral conflicts. In itself this is nothing new, but Adler provides more humanity and affection than I’m used to seeing when visiting this topic. The sense of harsh tribalism certainly comes across and the moral actions of different characters as it relates to trust may surprise you (I can’t explain more without spoilers).

Overall the film is a moderate success, but it feels too much like a movie to be profoundly moving. I didn’t get a sense of characters outside of this conflict. The roundness that sense provides makes characters truly believable by contextualing their actions and ultimately their humanity. Bethlehem is a very good film, but I don't imagine I'll remember it well come the end of 2014.

Grade: B/B+

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    AJ Martin
    Andy Robinson
    Anime
    Anthony Formicola
    Anu Gulati
    Arjun Agarwal
    Arzu Martinez
    Ben Garbow
    Brandon Isaacson
    Brian Hamilton
    Carter Sigl
    Dan Simeone
    Discussion
    Elizabeth Johnson Wilson
    Eliza Rosenberry
    Emily Fisler
    Erick Sanchez
    Eric Tatar
    Essays
    Festivals
    Gabrielle Ulubay
    Grace Phalon
    Haley Emerson
    Here's Some Movies
    Ian Wolff
    IFF Boston
    IFFBoston 2015
    Interviews
    Isaac Feldberg
    Kunal Asarsa
    Library
    Lists
    Marguerite Darcy
    Marissa Marchese
    Marli Dorn
    Mary Tobin
    Meghan Murphy
    Mike Muse
    Mitch Macro
    Neel Shah
    Netflix Instant Watch
    Parth Parekh
    Patrick Roos
    Profiles
    Reviews
    Short Films
    Television
    This Week In Movies
    Tyler Rosini

    Want to Write for Us?

    Contact NUFEC at [email protected] if you're interested in writing for this blog!

    Archives

    October 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    April 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.