The Skies are Closer in Homesh: Difference between revisions
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==Summary== |
==Summary== |
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They were married on the day of a terrorist attack and spent their honeymoon trapped inside their home. THE SKIES ARE CLOSER IN HOMESH is a diarist documentary that follows Menorah, an Israeli newlywed, through the first few months of her marriage as she and her husband start their life together in Homesh, an Israeli settlement that's suffered from terrorism. |
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“I have nothing to do here, all day long” Menorah complains, instigating a fight with her husband. “If I was in Otra at least I could go to the movies.” |
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Most newlyweds take going to the movies for granted, but Menorah and Ariel aren't typical newlyweds. They sleep with a gun under their pillow. A private and revealing film, THE SKIES ARE CLOSER IN HOMESH shares what life is like through the eyes of a young and nervous settler and follows the evolution of her relationship with both her husband and her home through their crucial early stages. From a terrorist attack the night of Passover that murdered close friends to the birth of her first child, Menorah turns on her camera to share highly personal moments. |
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When survival is at stake, humans will do almost anything to adapt. The films reveals how people will quickly adjust their lifestyles to meet the demands of their situation. Menorah says she’s never felt comfortable with guns. She tried shooting one once, didn’t like it, and decided they weren’t for her. But given the realities of traveling alone, she’s had to reconsider. At one point, Menorah is seen standing in her kitchen, pregnant, practicing with her gun. She and her husband act out situations that would demand she act swiftly and agilely, but Menorah can't touch the gun without fumbling. The delicate woman has a hard time keeping a straight face and keeps laughing that the gun holster makes her look like a cowgirl. |
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What once seemed simple is now hard for Menorah to understand. When she was a child, the idea of living on a settlement was simple and ideal-- people must do God’s will. But now she sees that isolation, fear, and murder are also an intricate part of life on a settlement, which fills her with doubt and worry. Every funeral smashes the false hope that the previous funeral would be the last. Peace seems impossible, and casualties continue to grow in numbers. Menorah wonders if God isn't testing his people to see what they're willing to endure for the Promised Land. |
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Menorah's faith is strong, but at times she wonders why she's chosen to live on a settlement. The view from the high hilltop is breathtaking, and she loves her neighbors. But there are only three families living in their area, and the hours she spends waiting for her husband to come home from work are lonely. |
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With her camera in hand, Menorah asks a group of little boys loitering outside why they live on a settlement. The first one to respond says, “It’s an important place.” The second pipes in, referring to the settlement's name, “It’s also my uncle’s name.” But the last speaker’s words are straightforward and revealing, “Because otherwise the Arabs would live here.” His words have an eerie resonance. He's a naive little boy, but already he understand that living on a settlement is not just a religious matter; it has political consequences too. |
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Palestinians aren’t the only people who want the settlements disbanded. There are Israelis who do too. Menorah films a violent protest against the evacuation of a nearby settlement, where Israeli soldiers fight against Israeli soldiers. Feeling uneasy about what she’s seen, Menorah drives back to Homesh with her husband, eager to return to their home that’s “warm” and “sturdy.” But her feelings of contentment are coupled with insecurity. What if her home too is only temporary? |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Other Documentaries about the conflict in Israel: |
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*''[[The Land of the Settlers]]'' |
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*''[[At the Green Line]]'' |
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*''[[My Dearest Enemy]]'' |
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*''[[All Hell Broke Loose]]'' |
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*''[[Nadia's Friend]]'' |
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*''[[The Temple Mount is Mine]]'' |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www.jewishfilm.com/jz45.html#Skiesarecloser Jewish film archive summary] |
*[http://www.jewishfilm.com/jz45.html#Skiesarecloser Jewish film archive summary] |
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*[http://www.tjctv.com The Jewish Channel] |
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*[ |
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[[Category: Jewish films]] |
[[Category: Jewish films]] |
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Revision as of 18:06, 27 October 2008
| The Skies are Closer in Homesh | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Manora Hazani |
Release date | 2004 |
Running time | 60 min. |
| Language | Hebrew with English subtitles |
The Skies are Closer in Homesh is a highly personal documentary that follows a newly wed Jewish couple through their first few years of married life on a dangerous Isreali settlement.
Summary
They were married on the day of a terrorist attack and spent their honeymoon trapped inside their home. THE SKIES ARE CLOSER IN HOMESH is a diarist documentary that follows Menorah, an Israeli newlywed, through the first few months of her marriage as she and her husband start their life together in Homesh, an Israeli settlement that's suffered from terrorism.
“I have nothing to do here, all day long” Menorah complains, instigating a fight with her husband. “If I was in Otra at least I could go to the movies.”
Most newlyweds take going to the movies for granted, but Menorah and Ariel aren't typical newlyweds. They sleep with a gun under their pillow. A private and revealing film, THE SKIES ARE CLOSER IN HOMESH shares what life is like through the eyes of a young and nervous settler and follows the evolution of her relationship with both her husband and her home through their crucial early stages. From a terrorist attack the night of Passover that murdered close friends to the birth of her first child, Menorah turns on her camera to share highly personal moments.
When survival is at stake, humans will do almost anything to adapt. The films reveals how people will quickly adjust their lifestyles to meet the demands of their situation. Menorah says she’s never felt comfortable with guns. She tried shooting one once, didn’t like it, and decided they weren’t for her. But given the realities of traveling alone, she’s had to reconsider. At one point, Menorah is seen standing in her kitchen, pregnant, practicing with her gun. She and her husband act out situations that would demand she act swiftly and agilely, but Menorah can't touch the gun without fumbling. The delicate woman has a hard time keeping a straight face and keeps laughing that the gun holster makes her look like a cowgirl.
What once seemed simple is now hard for Menorah to understand. When she was a child, the idea of living on a settlement was simple and ideal-- people must do God’s will. But now she sees that isolation, fear, and murder are also an intricate part of life on a settlement, which fills her with doubt and worry. Every funeral smashes the false hope that the previous funeral would be the last. Peace seems impossible, and casualties continue to grow in numbers. Menorah wonders if God isn't testing his people to see what they're willing to endure for the Promised Land.
Menorah's faith is strong, but at times she wonders why she's chosen to live on a settlement. The view from the high hilltop is breathtaking, and she loves her neighbors. But there are only three families living in their area, and the hours she spends waiting for her husband to come home from work are lonely.
With her camera in hand, Menorah asks a group of little boys loitering outside why they live on a settlement. The first one to respond says, “It’s an important place.” The second pipes in, referring to the settlement's name, “It’s also my uncle’s name.” But the last speaker’s words are straightforward and revealing, “Because otherwise the Arabs would live here.” His words have an eerie resonance. He's a naive little boy, but already he understand that living on a settlement is not just a religious matter; it has political consequences too.
Palestinians aren’t the only people who want the settlements disbanded. There are Israelis who do too. Menorah films a violent protest against the evacuation of a nearby settlement, where Israeli soldiers fight against Israeli soldiers. Feeling uneasy about what she’s seen, Menorah drives back to Homesh with her husband, eager to return to their home that’s “warm” and “sturdy.” But her feelings of contentment are coupled with insecurity. What if her home too is only temporary?
References
- "The Skies are Closer in Homesh". Jewish Film Archive Online. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
See also
Other Documentaries about the conflict in Israel:
- The Land of the Settlers
- At the Green Line
- My Dearest Enemy
- All Hell Broke Loose
- Nadia's Friend
- The Temple Mount is Mine