Samuel Maoz - Foxtrot

Michael and Dafna are devastated when army officials show up at their home to announce the death of their son, Jonathan. Michael becomes increasingly frustrated by overzealous mourning relatives and well- meaning army bureaucrats. While his sedated wife rests, Michael spirals into a whirlwind of anger only to experience one of life’s unfathomable twists which rivals the surreal military experiences of his son.

Einstein said that coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. Foxtrot is a dance of a man with his fate. It’s a philosophical parable trying to deconstruct this vague concept called “fate” through a story about father and son. They are far from each other, but despite the distance and the total separation between them—they change each other’s destiny. The challenge I set for myself was to deal with the gap between the things we control and those that are beyond our control. At times, I chose to be intensive and combine criticism with compassion; at others, ironic but detached from time and place. The focus is not on the symptoms, but the philosophical idea of the film, the psychological state of the characters and how they deal with love and pain.