BETWEEN SILENCE AND ABJECTION: THE FILM MEDIUM AND THE ISRAELI WAR WIDOW

Resum

The Israeli cinema has been characterised these last few years by a dual phenomenon which it would seem difficult not to link with traumatic events such as the war in Lebanon and the I ntifada. On the one hand, a series of films have finally dared to tackle an obsessive problem, one which, as will be shown, had previously been suggested metaphorically. Don't give a damn (S. Himbennan, 1987), Shell Shock (Y. Sharon,l988),BellRoom(A.Gutman,l988),andBurningMemories(Y.Somer,1989) show young soldiers affected in their physical integrity, wounded in their virility. On the other hand, the triumphal revival of sketches and comedies produced over twenty years ago by Uri Zohar1 has demonstrated the nostalgia that the younger generations sustain towards a paradise lost of innocence and lack of responsibility.