The Age of Commercialism

I'll tell you why so serious

Admirable film.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

I was ready for some comedy and the Israeli movie "Zero Motivation" way exceed my expectation. In addition to a great script, with a well- organized and tightly structured plot, it is filled with black comedy, feminism, friendship, and work ethics wrapped with a little nudity and horror, all done with a limited budget. The acting are very good too. The movie was divided into three parts which are linked together by two central characters, Daffi (Nelly Tagar) and Zohar (Dana Ivgy), both young female soldiers working in the administration department of a military base in the middle of the dessert. They are among a group of equally demotivated female colleagues supervised by ambitious but frustrated Captain Rama (Shani Klein), the only female officer in the management team.The film starts with good friends Daffi and Zohar reluctantly return to base after a short break. Daffi, a clerical worker in charge of paper and the shredder, is tired of being stuck in the dessert and wants to be transferred to Tel Aviv. She seeks help from Zohar who is responsible for mail and trusts her in mailing letters for her transfer. Comedy erupts when a new comer Tehila (Yonit Tobi) enters the camp and Daffi treats her as her replacement until something tragic happens. In the second part, Zohar is obsessed about losing her virginity but she exercises her independent thinking and receives help from a fellow colleague who asserts the female ego. It is the third part that ties all the loose ends from part one and two and we see more comedy, irony and creative action. Then everything ends in a reasonable and interesting wrap up.I would not divulge too much plot as it will spoil the fun. But I can guarantee that it is packed with jokes and laughter while making you think about the absurdity and blessing in life, while pondering on gender roles. Perhaps the only short coming is the military setting which is hard for most international audience to identify with. But the issues of office management, friendship and courtship are universal across industry and culture. Most importantly, the voice of female power is strong. Highly recommended.

So when I saw the movie's summary about a group of women being pencil pushers in the Israeli army, I was expecting something far different. My perception (which I got from movies) of the Israeli army is that every one who comes out of it seems to be real bad ass. This movie contradicts that, completely. The movie tells three different stories about different types of women in the army. A story of a woman who wants to be in command, a woman looking for a nice job in a nice place, and a woman who can't wait for her service to end. What I enjoyed most was how the filmmakers were able to construct characters who you can connect with. I can't put my finger on how it was done but I came out of this caring for the out come of all of them. Maybe it was a combination of the writing and the acting, or how the movie was edited to focus on the main characters and tell their stories. Whatever it was, it truly worked. Not knowing much about military service in Israel, I will assume the picture is displaying the emotion of what it's like to do it. From trying to play the male dominated game to just trying to get by. Overall, I was very impressed by it.

I don't understand why this movie was made. It is so slight as to be non-existent. I will grant the possibility that there was something lost in translation: I'm not Israeli so maybe there are cultural aspects that don't translate. Also, I read the dialog in subscripts. Some have called it a dark comedy. Frequently this means "not funny" or "high concept, conceptually funny, but not actually funny." I did laugh twice, but that doesn't make it a comedy. In the first story of three related stories, a young woman commits suicide in a gruesome way. Ha ha. So maybe it's a drama then. But the drama is superficial and unbelievable, based on e.g. a nasty character, the office boss and apparently an officer, who is so over-the-top mean that the character is literally not believable. Other episodes are poorly written as when two characters go missing from an intense project for hours without being missed. There is attempted drama between some of the young women characters which is really no more than trivial friction among friends. There is a surreal scene where apparently a ghost enters someone's bed and that person might or might not be possessed for a few hours. There are farcical aspects such as when an impossibly slow paper shredder is suddenly able to fill an entire office with shreddings. There is a date gone sort of wrong interrupted by a gun-toting possibly- possessed woman. There is a shoot-out with staple guns that could have been funny but the context is that these characters are truly trying to harm the other. Despite these scenarios, all of this adds up to approximately nothing—a hollow experience, a wasted movie night.

How anyone could not enjoy *Efes Yachasei Enosh* is beyond me. The incomparable Dana Ivgy (Zohar) with her zinger lines and equally zing-y delivery, and the actress who portrays Irena (why is she not credited?) carry this zany, slightly dark IDF comedy.I subtracted one star from 10 because I found it unrealistic that a shot could be fired on an IDF base and no one comes running.Other than that, the plot is just complex enough with just enough loops to keep it moving, yet not confusing; and the characters were thoroughly differentiated, again simplifying things for the viewer.The story treats contemporary issues such as date rape, sadistic commanders, and the plight of women soldiers assigned to unchallenging administrative jobs. I recommend Zero Motivation highly.*By the way, I'd translate *yachasei enosh* יחסי אנוש as "people skills", but "motivation" works, as this crowd lacks both!