A Ballad for my Son

81 Minutes, 2006
Genre:
Documentary

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Directed by: Tzipi Trope
Production:Tzipi Trope
Production Company:Maya Films Ltd.
Photographer: Dudu Yitzhaki, Tzipi Trope
Language: Hebrew
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Subtitles: English

The title of director Tzipi Trope’s 2005 documentary is a nod to the title of Tirza Atar’s poem, ‘Ballad About my Boy Who Grew Up’; a mother’s farewell song to her son who is all grown up. The film opens on a montage of teenage boys exercising (most likely ahead of their military conscription) against the backdrop of a breathtaking seaside sunset. Footage of their workout is interspersed with video footage of then-Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, discussing the decision to go through with Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Later, the film turns its focus on two teenage boys, just before they are enlisted: Elad, whose father had served in the Gaza Strip and was wounded there, dreams of a placement in an elite military unit; and Daniel, who steadfastly refuses to become part of a military force that controls civilians in occupied territories, declares that he is willing to pay the price of his convictions.
Both were raised on the same myths woven into the very fabric of Israeli society, however; whereas one seeks to feed into them, the other hopes to shatter them. All the while, the clock is ticking, and the moment of truth is fast approaching. Each boy, in their own way, is willing to fight and sacrifice for what they believe is right. The film follows these two brave young men whose ideologies and philosophies are so fundamentally different to each other, as they tread the difficult roads ahead; paths of their own choosing – whilst illustrating the impact of their own personal choices on their families. Trope, by the by, paints a unabashedly honest portrait of Israeli society in the noughties.

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