Cinema
On a Narrow Bridge
גשר צר מאוד
Nissim Dayan · 1985
Synopsis
Benny Tagar, a lawyer in the middle of a divorce, serves in the reserve as a prosecutor at the military government court in Ramallah. One day, when boys stone his car, he chases one of them into a school and finds there the librarian, Laila Mansour, widow of a notable's son; the governor has the child released, a grandson of that notable. Benny falls in love with Laila, at first reserved before the man who represents the occupation, then won over in her turn. His superior and his uncle warn him; she, warned by her father-in-law, loses her job and takes refuge in a village.
Context
The project, drawn from a short story by Haim Hefer, was launched in 1984 by the singer Yehoram Gaon and a producer, who abandoned it; Dayan bought the rights and wrote the screenplay with Hefer. It brought together Aharon Ipale, an Israeli actor settled in Hollywood, Salwa Nakkara, the Turkish actor Tuncel Kurtiz for the notable and Makram Khoury for the military governor, a religious man. Shooting in Ramallah met with opposition; the border police refused to protect it. Dina Zvi-Riklis made a documentary about it. The film was released in November 1985.
Who it is for
An hour and forty minutes, in Hebrew. It is best to know that the Israeli military government then tried the inhabitants of the territories before its own courts.
Prizes and reception
First Israeli film in official competition at San Sebastián; Salwa Nakkara was voted actress of the year 1985.