ReelBob: ‘Foxtrot’ ★★★
By Bob Bloom
A pall of regret and recrimination hangs over “Foxtrot” like a soupy London fog.
This Israeli import, written and directed by Samuel Maoz, is weighted down by grief and tragedy, as it delves into the uncertainties and ironies of life in modern-day Israel for military personnel and civilians alike.
The movie opens with Michael and Dafna Feldmann (Lior Ashkenazi and Sarah Adler) receiving news that devastates them. Dafna collapses, while Michael basically shuts down.
With Dafna sedated, Michael is soon inundated by well-meaning relatives who stifle him with their concern and intentions.
The movie can be summed up by Michael’s explanation to Dafna about the foxtrot, in which the dance moves always take you back to your starting point.
Maoz paints a cinematic picture of a nation — and its people — caught in a never-ending cycle of conflict that seems not only unwinnable, but unending.
He takes his time laying out his story — too much time, in fact. As you watch, you are trying to determine where his story is going and you wish it would move a bit faster.
His movie is too reflective — at some points almost losing you to ennui.
The movie basically takes place in two settings — the couple’s apartment and a remote checkpoint somewhere in Israel, manned by four soldiers — one of whom is the Feldmanns’ son, Jonathan (Yonantan Shiray).
The soldiers’ daily routine is a monotonous grind that rarely varies until one night, when an unintended incident leads to dreadful circumstances.
In its quiet way, “Foxtrot” is an indictment of the consequences of a nation that always seems to be in a state of war — physically and mentally.
“Foxtrot” grips you because we want to see where the movie is heading and what are the consequences of some of the sequences we already have seen.
This dank and dark movie is without a ray of sunlight anywhere.
Maoz’s filmmaking, his framing and juxtaposition of scenes are the backbone of the movie. It’s not so much the story, but how Maoz and his team tell it that propels “Foxtrot.”
The performances are solid, with Ashkenazi especially effective as the haunted father whose volatility masks weakness and insecurities that he has buried deeply within his psyche.
Like the dance for which the film was named, “Foxtrot” criticizes his nation’s inability to move from a preordained pattern of steps and its heavy cost.
I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
FOXTROT
3 stars out of 4
(R), sexual content, graphic images, drug use