Based on director Amos Gitai’s own experiences as a member of a helicopter rescue crew during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, this story is told from the perspective of Israeli soldiers. We are led by Weinraub and his friend Ruso on a day that begins with quiet city streets, but ends with death, destruction and devastation of both body and mind. Various scenes are awash in the surreal, as Weinraub’s head hangs out over a rescue helicopter’s open door, watching with tranquil desperation as the earth passes beneath, the overpowering whir of the blades creating a hypnotic state. It is not a traditional blood, guts and glory film. There are no battle scenes or glorious deaths; only the rescue crew trying to pick up the pieces.
