Both a retelling of the Purim story and an exploration of modern life, this film plays with narrative conventions to become a profound meditation on justice and revenge.
Amos Gitai’s first film plays with Biblical tales and cannily upends itself to become an incisive reflection on modern life. Starting with a retelling of the Purim story of Ahasuerus, Esther, and Mordecai, the film plays with narrative conventions to become a profound meditation on justice and revenge. When the linear telling of the story ends, the actors themselves discuss their own experiences in contemporary Israel, marking a stark contrast between the actors’ own lives and the revels of the holiday. (1986, 97 min. No MPAA rating. In Hebrew with English subtitles.)