Foxtrot

Michael and Dafna are devastated when they are told that their son Jonathan, an Israeli soldier, was killed while serving as a guard at an abandoned border post. However, the facts prove to be a bit more complex. A nuanced film about the absurdity of Israeli military culture by the maker of Lebanon.

Foxtrot isn’t just the name of a dance. It is also a military code: Israeli filmmaker Samuel Maoz incorporates the stratification of the title in his depiction of contemporary Israel. He shows the country as a surreal place where pain, sorrow and psychological trauma dominate the militarized society.

A film in three acts, Foxtrot delves deep into the absurdity of Israeli military culture. In the first act, we see how the parents of soldier Jonathan fall apart after hearing the news about his death. In the second act, we join Jonathan at the abandoned military post. The third act is set in the future, in which everything turns out to be different than previously assumed.

In three stylistically diverse acts, Maoz tells the story from the perspective of the father, son and mother. All three are dancing the foxtrot, with fate as their dance partner. A dance with many variations, but wherever it leads, you always end up back where you once started.

Foxtrot is part of the Festival Favorites theme programme.