Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitaï signs a concept film against totalitarianism, in the light of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Amos Gitaï’s latest film is a proposal, of great relevance today, around the theme that runs through his filmography: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It is a cinematic experience offered by Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitaï in Shikun, his latest feature film in theaters on March 6, 2024. In the twists and turns of a building, which gives its name to the film, men and women move around and discuss things and others, thus reporting, implicitly, on the history and destiny of a country, Israel. In this multitude of trajectories, the character played by French actress Irène Jacob, who sees threatening rhinoceroses appear, constitutes the common thread of this story evoking, among other things, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The film is inspired by the play Rhinoceros by Eugène Ionesco, a denunciation of totalitarianism.

Shikun brings together a host of actors loyal to Amos Gitaï. Like Yaël Abecassis seen in Kadosh (1999), A tram in Jerusalem (2018) or even The Last Day of Yitzhak Rabin (2015) in which Pini Mittelman also plays. Ditto for Hana Laslo, in the casting of Free Zone (2005) and Laila in Haifa (2020). A film in which we also find Naama Preis and Bahira Ablassi. The staging borrows from the world of theater and Gitaï’s sequence shots help us to follow the movements of the actors with our eyes, to be as close as possible to the characters in their wanderings.

The theater of an allegory

The feature film was shot in a well-known and emblematic building, a social housing building located in Beersheba, a city located in the south of Israel, in the Negev desert. The place thus corresponds to one of the definitions of “Shikun”, the one which refers to “social housing” in Hebrew, So to a shelter. In this closed session, the history of Israel unfolds, between the Shoah and the conflict with Palestine. The film, born while many of his compatriots were protesting against the undemocratic judicial reforms initiated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government, is disturbingly acute.

The attack perpetrated on October 7 by Hamas against Israel, which led to a bloody war, gives a unique resonance to the feature film. Particularly when it comes to the peace that many Israelis and Palestinians aspire to together. A woman, speaking Hebrew, chats with a man speaking Arabic. Then they shout: “In an age of rhinos, let’s remain human”, before exchanging a kiss. Likewise, criticism of the occupation of the Palestinian territories and its disastrous consequences on the populations rises when a young woman addresses an older man by saying: “Perhaps the day will come when young Israelis will ask their parents: How could you?”

This concept film turns out to be confusing, particularly in its staging. Individuals, solitary or in groups, appearing suddenly without us really understanding the reason. However, the dialogues shed light on the intention and symbolism of Amos Gitaï’s choices. Maintaining the vagueness even seems intentional. Asked about the mixture of languages ​​(Hebrew and Arabic) and the fact that they are not differentiated on screen, the filmmaker explained that he did not wish to make Shikun a didactic work. A successful bet for a film for which you have to use your instinct to understand its subtlety. However, nothing is guaranteed.

The sheet

Gender : Fiction
Director: Amos Gitaï
Distribution : Irène Jacob, Yaël Abecassis, Hana Laszlo, Bahira Ablassi, Menashe Noy, Naama Preis, Pini Mittelman.
Country : Israel, France
Duration : 1h25
Exit : March 6, 2024
Distributer : Epicenter movies

Synopsis: Inspired by the play by Eugène Ionesco, the film tells the story of the emergence of intolerance and totalitarian thinking through a series of daily episodes that take place in Israel in a single building, the Shikun. In this hybrid group of people of different origins and languages, some transform into rhinoceroses, but others resist. An ironic metaphor for life in our contemporary societies.