Objector

Molly Stuart’s debut feature is a profoundly human document about a young Israeli and her desire for a better, more peaceful world.

The heroine of Molly Stuart's documentary feature is Atalya Ben-Abba who was some six months short of her eighteenth birthday when filming commenced. She knew then that she might well feel the need to take a stand by rejecting conscription by the Israeli Defence Force. In Israel, all youngsters, girls as well as boys, are faced with conscription on reaching the age of eighteen. Most of Atalya's family had a militaristic outlook (her own mother had been an officer in the army) and were opposed to her idea of refusing, a choice which would carry with it the likelihood of a prison sentence. It was the case that her brother, Amitai, older than her, had been able to avoid conscription on medical grounds, but for Atalya it was entirely a question of conscience.

Objector, a simple but exceedingly effective film, follows events as they unfolded - initially it's six months before the due conscription date, then three, then one, after which we reach the day itself followed by footage depicting the consequences of what Atalya has done. In the period prior to that decisive moment, we witness Atalya talking to members of her family as they express their various views, but she travels around in Palestine as well as in Israel. She is aided in that by 'Visit Palestine' a group formed to encourage Israelis to see for themselves the situation that exists there. On arrival Atalya makes her own enquiries into how things are for ordinary people whose lives have suffered at the hands of the Israelis. As we see subsequently, Atalya's is not a lone voice and we find her joining the thriving network for objectors that is known as Mesarvot.

Atalya's idealism and her belief in the possibility of increasing understanding between Israelis and Palestinians that will eventually lead to peace through communication puts one on mind of another youngster devoted to a cause, Greta Thunberg. What starts out as a stand against compulsory conscription develops into a protest against Israel's occupation of Palestine and in the process Objector becomes a film about the importance of recognising our common humanity. At a mere 72 minutes it may be thought that the film is compact and exactly the right length, but in fact the one misjudgment in it is due to the piece becoming overextended even at that length. Perhaps it was felt necessary to make it closer to standard feature length, but the last quarter of an hour would benefit if shortened by, say, ten minutes. Until then the film has moved well and it is apt to show late on changes in attitude within Atalya's family and to end with a speech by her which, while offering nothing new, is a neat summation of her beliefs. But that still leaves us with footage which adds little and is essentially redundant. That may prevent Objector from being an outstanding film, but it still stands as a heartwarming testimony to Atalya's dedication to doing all that she can to revive a sense of international brotherhood. I recommend it and all the more so now. The fact that this film has reached us at time of escalated violence means that the hatred which comes with that inevitably increases. All the more important, then, that a film like Objector which cries out against such hatred should be seen and noted.

MANSEL STIMPSON

Featuring  Atalya Ben-Abba, Amitai Ben-Abba, Alona Lifshitz, Osama Elewat, Lior Golan, Edor Ben-Abba, Oriana Ben-Abba Golan, Asa Lifshitz, Ahed Tamini, Bassem Tamini, Tair Kaminer, Noa Levy.

Dir Molly Stuart, Pro Amitai Ben-Abba, Screenplay Amitai Ben-Abba, Ph Andrés Gallegos, Ed Daniel Chein and Molly Stuart, Music Uri Agnon.

El Dorado Films/Buried Seed Prodictions/SF Films-True Story.
72 mins. USA/Israel. 2019. Rel: 14 May 2021. Available on True Story. No Cert.