Kippur

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William L If you had told me that this film was actually produced two decades before its release date, I would have no problem believing you. That's just the way that the production quality is. With its compulsory service requirements that can pluck citizens from their everyday lives to active duty if the situation calls for it, depictions of the Israeli military seem ripe for a more psychological breed of war film. Kippur certainly attempts to take advantage of this setting, following a pair of young men as they are called up from reserve forces during the unexpected Yom Kippur War, and ending up in a medical evacuation unit. Their time spent pursuing this bleak task doesn't see them fall under enemy fire, but they are no less traumatized by the monotonous desolation and unrelenting chaos of the conflict; that sounds like a compelling premise, but believe me when I say that the film heavily emphasizes the monotonous element. Scenes are particularly long and static, intentionally prolonging the audience's exposure to the 'experience' of the conflict. However, it's a bit difficult for the weight of the responsibility to feel heavy when the two lead characters are so underexplored; the most distinctive insight we get into the personalities of either of the leads is a sex scene on a heavily paint-smeared bedspread that lasts for several minutes. You can say that it represents a necessary element of distinctiveness to characters that will be pounded into uniformity by a terrible experience, but it's just weird. Props to Gitai for creating a more subdued war film on a limited budget, but for most of the runtime that subdued nature is done so excessively it's honestly to the film's detriment; I can see why this would be considered either a masterpiece by some, or a boring mess by others. Among the least popular films to have ever been included on 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, Kippur was shown at no more than five theaters in the United States at a single time. That was probably for the best, when MASH had a similar premise with more subtletly, greater depth, and an actual sense of humor decades prior. (2.5/5) Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/28/21 Full Review Audience Member If two hours of cleaning up the carnage of war being bookmarked by lovemaking in paint is a message about the strength of the human condition then this movie succeeded. If the non-existent narrative is supposed to represent the chaos of war then this movie succeeded. If the static characters are supposed to represent the faceless warriors that die internally or externally on the battlefield then this movie succeeded. If this movie wanted to be entertaining in the least, it fucking failed. It failed hard. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member It's one of the toughest watches I've ever had because it is unflinching in its drawn out realism. The camera likes to be far removed from the action and yet zoomed in close enough to inspect it; however, this does not add an unbiased, objective view, but rather an unadulterated one that never once feels emotionless or scientific. It's hard to get through, but if you do, you will be rewarded with powerful cinema. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Minutely detailed but slow-moving. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member If excitement's your bag, then best forget this film - it's going to be too meditative for you. However KIPPUR is a staggeringly good film. Instead of trying to seduce the audience with flimsy narrative the director seems to have put all of his energy into evoking the dark, harrowing textures of war - fear, pain, vulnerability, exhaustion, desperation and the utter indifference that events have towards the individual - events don't have feelings. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review s r 1001 movies to see before you die. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Kippur

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