THE VANISHING SOLDIER

Israel, 2023, 95 minutes, Colour.

Ido Tako, Mika Reiss, Efrat Ben Tzur.

Directed by Dani Rosenberg.

The Vanishing Soldier had its premiere in Locarno on August 5, 2023, two months before the Hamas attack on Israel and the consequent war in Gaza and the extension to Lebanon during 2024. So, while this is a pre-war story, it certainly has its moments relevant to 2024.

The action takes place over one day. We see a group of occupying Israeli soldiers, their going into action, but one of them, Shlomo (Ido Tako) hesitating, staying behind, literally running away, seeing bodies lying dead on the streets, a Palestinian of woman raising her hand in surrender, his taking an abandoned Palestinian car and driving to the border, running along the barbed wire, crossing back into Israel, running to his home. The audience wonders about his motivations, fear, the battles, his age, 18, his family, a relationship… And, we soon discover, all of the above.

As the film moves on, television news is seen and heard in the background, remarkably like what was heard in 2024. However, there is a significant twist. With Shlomo’s disappearance, the interpretation is that he has been kidnapped by Hamas and needs to be rescued, action escalating, public opinion, condemnation of the enemy.

But, on the whole, Shlomo’s day is very mundane, meeting his girlfriend who is cooking at a restaurant, about to move to Canada which he does not want. He has a swim in the Mediterranean, greeted by a couple who is to his military service – and then he steals their clothes and phone and their later chasing and accosting him. He is a voracious and intense eater, quite a number of times during the day. He visits his grandmother, has a phone call from his mother and his being alerted that the military are searching for him.

Gradually, he realises the military consequences of his desertion. His mother urges him to go back. There is a screenplay trick before the end, one of those what might have been sequences. However, the reality is lament for an 18-year-old, something of a spoilt 18-year-old, facing a serious situation, refusing to face it…

1. Topical? Israel-Gaza 2023? The aftermath of the invasion? World perceptions?
2. The setting, northern Gaza, the border, Tel Aviv? Atmosphere, the ruins in Gaza, the barbed wire, the border, the installations, homes, apartments, restaurants, Tel Aviv streets? Hospital? The musical score?
3. The action taking place over one day? The drama, the personal story, the consequences, the interpretation as a kidnapping, the escalation of war activities?
4. The opening, the isolated soldiers, cooking, snipers, rousing to action, the men going out, Shlomo, his decision, running away, continuing to run, his kit and gun, the dead in the streets, the Palestinian woman raising her hands, the car, the border, the barbed wire, arriving home, his hunger and eating? The arrival of the military?
5. Getting out of the house, the bike, riding through the city, going to the beach, the couple and their admiration, th swimming el, his taking the clothes, phone, money? Going to visit Shari, at the restaurant, the bond, her going to Canada, his wanting her to stay, the meal, voracious eating?
6. Going to his grandmother, her help, having a rest, his mother’s phone call, his father, going to the hospital, the phone call from the military, his telling her the truth, her reactions, wanting to go back, then protective? The arrival of the military, Shlomo observing, his promising to go back?
7. The encounter with the couple, their pursuit of him, the attack in the street, taking the clothes?
8. At home, his father’s uniform, his father’s vehicle, the military pursuit?
9. The background of Israel-Gaza and the Palestinians? Television news, the information, Shlomo watching with the people in the club? The growing information about his being kidnapped, the escalation of activities?
10. Going home, sleep, the screenplay trick, at the window, returning, acclaimed, his mother’s joy?
11. The reality, the car, the distraction, the crash? On the road, standing in front of the van, the crash, the driver bashing him on the street, the medics arriving, his being carried into the hospital?
12. His future, in himself, Shari disappearing, relationship with his parents, desertion, military consequences, only aged 18?