Ikäraja: 18
Kesto: 1h 40min
Lajityyppi: documentary
Valmistumisvuosi: 2022
Ohjaaja: Guy Davidi
Kieli: Heprea
Tekstitys: Englanti

HUOM! Elokuvassa englanninkielinen tekstitys

Innocence – A film about what it means to grow up in a country that forces you to become a soldier

Making a war is a storyteller’s job. A good story is crucial to legitimize the use of military force. That’s why militaries need strong promotion and Israel is a model country in promoting its military ventures. We’ve successfully colonized, occupied and overgrown, and only got stronger and more accepted amongst the nations. Our history as persecuted Jews, and our enlightened democracy are both in use in our solid PR kit. But before pitching our story to the world, we need to pitch it to our children. As moral corruption linked with apartheid thrives, avoiding military service becomes a threat. For some children we’ll offer benefits, for most we’ll sell fictitious promises. Every child is screened to serve with bearable pressure and an adjusted amount of exposure to violence.

‘Innocence’ tells the story of children who resisted to be enlisted but capitulated. Their stories were never told as they died during their service. Through a narration based on their haunting diaries, the film depicts their inner turmoil. It interweaves first-hand military images, key moments from childhood until enlistment and home videos of the deceased soldiers whose stories are silenced and seen as a national threat.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE:
Nothing touches me more than a child’s sensitivity when they discover the world, and nothing hurts me more than seeing it getting crushed. Israel is not a place that values innocence. Its militarized identity requires the breaking down and distorting of the gentle lines of childhood. This commitment to violence has many victims, but there’s also a hidden tragedy – the collapse of parenthood.
Every war relies on parents’ betrayal of their children. But in a militarized society, even the most free-spirited parents are bound to fail to protect the spirit of their children. I still believe that if we put our love for our children first, it shall overwhelm the strongest political, economic powers.
-Guy Davidi, September 2022