Esther

ESTHER was Amos Gitai's first narrative feature, and it sets the agenda for many of the thematic concerns he would continue to address throughout his career. The film starts inauspiciously, as a low budget biblical drama. It tells the Old Testament tale of Esther, who saved the Jewish people from the manipulations of Haman, one of the King Xerxes' most trusted advisors. When Haman persuades Xerxes to have all the Jews of Persia slaughtered, Esther risks her own life to intervene, and the king reverses his pronouncement, allowing the Jews to slaughter all their enemies in the realm. Gitai's subtle, dark wit, a staple of his work, is on display here. And documentary elements continually creep into the frame. Jackhammers and sirens can be heard in the background. A pivotal scene takes place at a modern junk yard. This is an intentionally anachronistic work, and Gitai's true concerns are made clear by the tragic tone the film takes at the conclusion of the story, which, in traditional Judaism, would conversely have a celebratory tone. Then, during the powerful finale, the actors break character to describe their own varied backgrounds, and their personal connections to the bigotry and conflict dramatized in the film. This film was screened as part of an Amos Gitai retrospective organized by New York City's Anthology Film Archives.

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