Medinat hagamadim

We got to the theater expecting an adventure flick with bold little children fighting I don't know what. What we got was a bleeding thriller and a very unsettling ending. The children were bold alright, and they were fighting soldiers who didn't want to fight the war. I guess there is always war down these parts. Now that I read the synopsis and saw the trailer it was clear to me that all the hints were there. Even the poster is disturbing, but usually when you know there are children actors in the movie, you don't think it could be too violent. Well, this one proved me wrong. A very good and surprising movie. Some scenes followed me long after watching it at the Shanghai Film Festival. I would like to watch it again.

The movie is tough. Because you have a moral center that is far off. And it's far off because you don't actually seem to have someone to really root for. Usually you could say that you are for the children, because of their innocence, lack of being judgemental (speaking the truth and directly). But in this case, the youth (or little people) take the whole thing to a whole different level. We knew kids can be mean at times, but like this? On the other hand you have the soldiers, whose decision to get out of the army, is not seen as a good thing.

The way they are shown is not flattering at all. It's one thing to have them boycott the Army, it's another thing to paint them the way the movie does. Now you may not care that much about those undertones, but they are there. If you can keep that out of the movie watching experience itself, there is a lot of tension and drama - and the movie is very well made too

Crazy film with lots of violence. Children fighting and cursing. I wasn't prepared for that. Some people in the audience couldn't take it. I know a little bit about Israel and I hope it will screen there. Very important film, especially today. Beautifully shot in the desert. The children actors are amazing!