Nitzan, Ido and Frisch, all around the age of 17, join their classmates on a trip which is a rite of passage for many young Israelis. In Poland they visit the memorials of the German extermination camps in an attempt to better understand the history of both their ancestors and their country at the very places where the genocide of the Jews took place. They are accompanied by a Shoah survivor: Yosef, Frisch's grandfather, speaks to the youngsters about his childhood and youth. This is emotionally draining, overwhelming even; for him, for his grandson, for the trip leaders. Even on the coach every free minute is filled with Anatevka or Schindler's list and yet the youngsters also have other things on their minds; they sing, laugh and gossip. For they are young, adventurous and in love, for the most part with the wrong person, and after the obligatory activities are interested in parties more than anything else. Director Asaf Saban captures the contradictions of this most unusual class trip with a keen sense for youthful sensitivities. How can history be conveyed in such an environment? Do sadness and shock become mere rituals here, the results of peer pressure even? Is there sufficient time and space for individual reflection? This keenly observant work depicts how the journey takes the teenagers on an emotional trip, at times even overwhelming them, and yet nevertheless represents an important stage in their transition towards adulthood.
Text: Kira Taszman
English: Peter Rickerby
On 15.6. at 15:00 at Filmkunst 66, leading actress Neomi Harari will be present for a film discussion after the film.
