The Skies are Closer in Homesh

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

The diarist documentary exposes what life is like for Menorah, a young and nervous settler, who was married on the day of a terrorist attack, spent her honeymoon trapped inside her home because of terrorism, and sleeps with a gun under her pillow.

The film 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.

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.

One of the film's most revealing moments comes when Menorah tries to learn how to use a gun. She says she’s never felt comfortable with guns. 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.

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

External links

• Jewish film archive summary
• The Jewish Channel
• New Israeli Foundation for Cinema