In Israel, military service is mandatory. Director Guy Davide, whose documentary “Innocence” premiered at the Venice Film Festival, also served in the Horizons section. “I didn’t want to be a fighter, to hold a gun. I felt used, abused, like a tool for the country. I already knew I was going to make films, and I didn’t hope to become a politician or a lawyer so their threats didn’t have much weight. But for others , getting a psychiatric evaluation and being released for psychological and mental reasons as I did is not an option,” he says.
“The other thing is that at this age if you’re not in the military, there’s nothing to do,” he adds. “Israel is not a place that values innocence. “Our history as persecuted Jews, and our enlightened democracy is in use in our powerful public relations toolkit,” says Davidi. “If you challenge these ideas you will immediately be accused of anti-Semitism.”
In “Innocence,” the Oscar-nominated director of “Five Broken Cameras” separates this PR strategy apart. At the same time, it highlights the stories of young Israelis who resisted conscription but gave up and died tragically. The film is narrated by actors, reading excerpts from real diaries. I knew I wanted to research the stories of soldiers who died, and I wrote their memoirs in a very delicate and beautiful way. He must be someone who has had a deep crisis in his life regarding service, [for whom] It was something against their values and beliefs. Some of the stories I have chosen are more contemporary, so the soldiers are more aware of the Israeli occupation, others are less, so the awareness is less developed”, explains Dvidi.
He took on a difficult task, and it took many years and in-depth research to complete it. When you ask a bereaved parent to give you access to their child’s diary, they won’t always welcome you with open arms. “The family’s reaction was the biggest challenge,” he says. “Some really wanted to cherish the memory and the beauty of the script and were glad it came out. For some families, these stories end up in suicide, so it was even more difficult. One mother told me: ‘This is like a bombshell to me. If I open it up’ I don’t know if I can go on with my life.”
Deciding which stories to use and then building the narrative was a very difficult task.
There are two types of source material used in “Innocence”: those created by deceased soldiers, and stills from the military. Doron had a beautiful archive from her childhood. Khalil left pictures and text. Adam wrote mostly prose, not memoirs, so we only have it as an archive, not a speaking voice. The military archives we use are only those released by soldiers and are not directly related to our heroes. They serve more as an illustration of training, and what it feels like to be in the military.”
Davide researched the dark moments to show how the military can sometimes feel like a nightmare. “The people who shot the movie, I don’t think they thought of these pictures that way. Maybe that was fun for them? That’s why these archives are accessible at all: because the military thinks it’s great to see the training, to see how strong we are. You go on YouTube And you see soldiers with GoPro cameras filming their training while holding a gun, like a computer game. This is how the idea is being promoted to the new generation or even to Jews all over the world.”
Home videos of teens who have stopped live or recordings from boot camps are scary. But the videos from kindergarten where kids are constantly told that they must be a hard shocker too.
“Who are we to know what strength is? Who are we to tell children that if they are not strong they will die? This is something ugly and disgusting,” Davide said, shaking his head. “I felt that making a film from the perspective of sensitive and creative people showed that objecting to violence is natural, intelligent, and even practical, contrary to what we are constantly told.”
The film was created for parents to increase their sensitivity towards their children and create a world that embraces them and gives space for their thoughts, aspirations and dreams. “Fathers who put their children first is a huge political force. It can end dictatorships, solve environmental issues and stop wars. Even in Israel, because it really happened – the occupation of Lebanon stopped thanks to a mothers’ movement. I really believe in the power of caring.”
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