Terror films: The socio-cultural reconstruction of trauma in contemporary Israeli cinema

• Authors: Yael Ben-Moshe , Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

PL

Ben-Moshe Yael, Ebbrecht-Hartmann Tobias, Terror films: The socio-cultural reconstruction of trauma in contemporary Israeli cinema. “Images” vol. XXV, no. 34. Poznań 2019. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. Pp. 69–86. ISSN 1731-450X. DOI 10.14746/i.2019.34.05. The public discourse in Israel regarding events such as the Holocaust, war, or terror attacks mostly failed to embrace the trauma caused by such events, and to integrate their effects in the collective memory. According to trauma theoreticians, the location of trauma in the discourse is related to the character of trauma as a non-narratable memory, since personal trauma exist in the void, thus marking a missing memory. This paper explores the notion of trauma in contemporary Israeli cinema as it was reconstructed during and after the Second Intifada (2000–2008). The paper focuses on feature films reflecting on experiences of terrorist violence, among them Avanim (2004), Distortion (2004), Frozen Days (2006), The Bubble (2006), 7 Minutes in Heaven (2009). These films embrace parallel elements structuring a worldview, in the private as well as the collective sphere, thus shaping the surroundings as a mirror of the self and the subjective traumatic experience as a reflection of a complex social reality.A particular focus of our analysis will also be on aesthetic strategies that cinematically express rupture and distortion of terrorist violence and trauma, especially moments of suddenness and disruption in contrast to duration and circular repetition, elements of a specific temporality of trauma that also shaped the narration and style of recent Israeli war films, such as Waltz with Bashir (2008) or Beaufort (2007).

Keywords

EN

trauma; terror; terrorism; Israeli cinema; war; Second Intifada; trauma; terror; terrorism; Israeli cinema; war; Second Intifada

PL

trauma; terror; terrorism; Israel cinema; war; Second Intifada

• Publisher: Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
• Journal: Images. The International Journal of European Film, Performing Arts and Audiovisual Communication
• Year: 2019
• Volume: 25
• Issue: 34

Dates

published

2019-06-15

Contributors

author

Yael Ben-Moshe

• Bucerius Institute for Research of German History and Society Haifa Center for German and European Studies, University of Haifa

author

Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann

• DAAD Center for German Studies Department of Communication & Journalism The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

References

• FILMOGRAPHY
• Minutes in Heaven (Sheva Dakot be Gan Eden), Israel 2008. Dir. Omri Givon, Perf. Raymond Amsalem, Eldad Fribas, Nada Netz, EZ Films, KMH Film, Transfax Film Productions, 2008.
• Avanim, Israel 2004. Dir. Raphaël Nadjari, Perf. Asi Levy, Uri Gavriel, Florence Bloch, Shaul Mizrahi, Danny Steg, BVNG Productions, Transfax Film Productions, 2.1 Films, CPB Films, Arte france, Centre National de la Cinématographie, Israeli Film Fund, Shilo Films, 2004.
• Beaufort, Israel 2007. Dir. Joseph Cedar, Perf. Eli Eltonyo, Oshri Cohen, Ohad Knoller, Itay Tiran, Itay Turgeman, United King Films, Metro Communications, Movie Plus, The Yohoshua Rabinowits Foundation, Cinema Project, Keshet Broadcasting, Yes-DBD Satellite Services, CDI, Cinema Factory Production Ltd., Cinema Industry Association in Israel, 2007.
• Distortion, Israel 2004. Dir. Haim Bouzaglo, Perf. Haim Bouzaglo, Smadar Kilchinsky, Avi Gilor, Amos Lavi, Haim Zanati, Tzufit Grant, Dor Zweigenboim, Mazel Productions, 2004.
• Frozen Days (Yamim Kfuim), Israel 2005. Dir. Danny Lerner, Perf. Anat Klausner, Sandra Sade, Uli Sternberg, Bleiberg Entertainment, DPI, 2005.
• The Bubble (Ha-Buah), Israel 2006. Dir. Eytan Fox, Pref. Ohad Knoller, Yousef Sweid, Daniella Wircer, Alon Friedman, Uchovsky Fox, Metro Productions, Ronen Ben-Tal Films, Feingold Productions, Israeli Film Fund, Keshet Hot, 2006.
• To Be or Not to Be, USA 1942. Dir. Ernst Lubitsch, Perf. Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Romaine Film Corporation, United Artists, 1942.
• Walk on Water, Israel 2004. Dir. Dir. Eytan Fox, Perf. Lior Ashkenazi, Knut Berger, Caroline Peters, Yousef Sweid, Lama Films, Israeli Film Fund, Hot, Fond Européen Media, 2004.
• Waltz with Bashir (Vals im Bashir), Israel 2008. Dir. Ari Folman, Perf. Ari Folman, Ori Sivan, Mickey Leon, Ron Ben-Yishai, Yehezkel Lazarov, Zahava Solomon, Bridgit Folman Film Gang, Les Films d’Ici, Razor Film Produktion GmbH, Arte France, ITVS, Noga Communication, New Israeli Foundation for Cinema and Television, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Israeli Film Fund, Hot Telecommunication, YLE Teema, Télévision Suisse-Romande, Radio Télévision Belge Francophone, Special Broadcasting Service, 2008.
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Identifiers

DOI

10.14746/i.2019.34.05