Film Archive

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The Good Soldier

Le bon soldat
Silvina Landsmann
Competition for the Audience Award 2021
Documentary Film
France,
Germany,
Israel
2021
88 minutes
English,
Hebrew
Subtitles: 
English, German Subtitles for deaf and hard-of-hearing

The NGO “Breaking the Silence” – BtS for short – consists of veteran Israeli soldiers who, by collecting personal accounts of their memories, want to raise awareness of everyday military life and the treatment of the population in the Occupied Territories. Director Silvina Landsmann’s film allows us a look behind the scenes of a contested group with a controversial approach in the midst of a conflict that’s been smouldering for more than 70 years.

What makes a good soldier? The ability to execute orders without scruples, or the consideration of higher moral goals when dealing with the enemy? For many members of BtS, the latter was only possible after active military service. In their work, they engage with operations and acts that in retrospect seem wrong to them. They address the Israeli population and foreign media with videos, lectures and city tours. The streets of Hebron are the site of frequent clashes between BtS, Israeli settlers and the army. On the political level, too, the organisation is harshly criticized. They are accused of fabricating stories, damaging Israel’s reputation and playing into the hands of anti-Semites. Landsmann observes with a cinematic, sober eye how the group struggles internally and externally to find its voice.
Kim Busch

Credits DOK Leipzig Logo

Director
Silvina Landsmann
Cinematographer
Silvina Landsmann
Editor
Tal Shefi
Producer
Silvina Landsmann, Pierre-Olivier Bardet
Co-Producer
Christoph Menardi
Sound
Ami Arad, Guy Barkay, Nadir Fleishman, Zohar Cheppa, Tully Chen