JIFF: The Vanishing Soldier

The Story

Australian Premiere

“Director and co-writer Dani Rosenberg balances absurdism and existential drama, slowly shifting our perspective on this young man: is he principled or lost as he shirks his onerous duty, creating unforeseen consequences in the world around him?” - ScreenDaily 

“A tonally nuanced and emotionally complicated tale.” - ScreenDaily 

“Potent pacing and a charismatic lead propel this absorbing film.” - The Film Verdict 

Shlomi, an eighteen-year-old Israeli soldier, flees the Gaza battlefield for his girlfriend in Tel Aviv. He soon discovers that the IDF elite is convinced he was kidnapped in the fog of war, an assumption that will have terrible consequences once it becomes public.

Rapidly running out of time to evade the IDF, Shlomi realises he is no longer escaping the soldiers who were pursuing him, but escaping from himself – as his own presence becomes his prison.

Taking place over a hot and humid 24 hours on the streets of Tel Aviv, this potent thriller, winner of Best Film at the Haifa Film Festival and in Competition at Locarno, shifts as it unfolds, from terror to hope and from romance to nightmare.

Festivals and Awards
Winner - Best Film, Israeli Feature Film Competition, Haifa Film Festival, 2023
Nominee - Best Film, Locarno Film Festival, 2023

Rating

Unclassified 15+

Duration

98 min

Language

Hebrew (English subtitles)

Cast

Ido Tako, Mika Reiss, Efrat Ben Zur, Tiki Dayan, Shmulik Cohen

Director

Dani Rosenberg