SOLDIER ON THE ROOF
Esther Hertog | Israel, Netherlands 2012 | 80 Min. | OmeU
Hebron, only a dot on the world map, but a place that is known and recognized worldwide as the center of many conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians. It is also the place where patriarch Abraham has his tomb. In the West-Bank city of Hebron, a major holy place to both Jews and Muslims, some 800 extremist Jewish settlers live in the midst of a Palestinian population of over 120,000. For three years, Esther Hertog has been filming from within the settler community, capturing unique scenes of their real, sometimes even surreal daily life. An entire army battalion watches over the Jewish community from the city rooftops.
The young Israeli – Dutch filmmaker Esther HERTOG spent three years with regularity in Hebron. She observed the daily life of the settlers, which resulted in a fascinating document, the absurd mix of soldiers, ideological settlers and their children playing. As a character driven documentary, the essential narrative of Soldier on the Roof depicts the filmmakers personal quest to understand the daily lives and motivations of Hebron’s extremist settlers.
