Campfire

a story of one woman's personal battle for acceptance, but also a portrait of a political movement that has forever affected millions of lives in the Middle East. Product Description

An exhilirating film

While this film is narrated by a woman, it is written and directed by a man, Joseph Cedar For those of you familiar with Israeli cinema, Mr. Cedar is also responsible for Time of Favor, a film which won six Israeli Oscars.
Campfire is careful to not portray Zionism in a cartoonish way, although I am sure many will disapprove. The characters are well drawn. The actors ave all appeared in other Israeli films, plays and television and are well respected. This is a film worth seeing. June 3, 2007

Propaganda in place of Art

I so much wanted to like this film. An Israeli film which was much celebrated in the local press. It was supposed to be a sensitive family drama in which a newly- widowed mother plans on making a new life by leaving the City and going off to a settlement. And there is indeed a nice, little love - story between the widowed mother and a humble , bachelor bus- driver.
Two elements ruined the film for me. One, a too graphic and violent for my taste rape scene. Here I may be unfair to the film but at my age this kind of violence is simply something I do not want to see.
As for the second objection this is one I think has substance artistically. The highly artificial and cardboard- like way the people of the settlement are presented makes it all unconvincing. Lots of little cinematic tricks are used to make the Jews of Judea and Samaria seem ugly , narrow-minded and crude.
Shallow stereotyping of this kind is opposed to the real exploration of character which makes for true cinematic Art. July 2, 2006

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