(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
In an era where so many viewpoints are locked in contradictions, and truth has become a relative concept, Brandon Kramer's Israeli hostage documentary stands out. Holding Liat, which had its world premiere at the Berlinale on February 16, stands out in that it takes the trouble to present a nuanced picture of a brutal conflict.
October 7
Liat Bones Atzili, a 49-year-old history teacher, kibbutznik and mother of three grown children, was among the approximately 250 Israelis taken hostage during the brutal incursion into Israel from Gaza by Hamas fighters on October 7, 2023. She was taken hostage along with her wounded husband Aviv from Kibbutz Nor Oz – and spent two months in captivity in Gaza. Her father, sister and son made tireless efforts to pressure the US government to influence a release. Her husband was not so lucky: He returned in a coffin after succumbing to gunshot wounds during the attack, which left 30 dead on the kibbutz.
The horrific events of #7 October# – in which some 1200 Israelis were killed – were quickly overshadowed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s devastating war on Gaza. It quickly turned into a ‘scorched earth’ policy that razed large parts of Gaza and has since killed more than 49 Palestinians, most of them civilians. Although a ceasefire was agreed on 000 January, the future of the Palestinians in Gaza remains uncertain. This is especially so after US President Donald Trump has expressed plans to evict them and develop the area into a kind of luxury Mediterranean resort. It is an idea that has aroused disgust and condemnation around the world, but which Netanyahu, not surprisingly, has embraced with enthusiasm.
All these atrocities were to come when Liat was taken. Just two weeks after October 7, the family had agreed to have a film crew document their experiences, which gives Holding Clay an immediacy that allows viewers to experience the emotional roller coaster a family in shock, fear and grief goes through.
American pressure
Focusing on Liat's combative, left-wing father, Yehuda – who has a Bernie Sanders sticker on his car and who clearly expresses his disgust for Netanyahu and right-wing American politicians, as well as extremist Zionist policies – the film explores the extent to which the family's pressure via American citizens could be leveraged to secure Liat's release.
The deep polarization of public opinion in USA in the first weeks after October 7th is clear, in the film some meetings with senators and congressmembers show, along with footage of both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Yehuda often feels he is being exploited in ways that do not reflect his old socialist beliefs, but the grief over what may have happened to his daughter drives him to use the opportunities he may have.
References to PalestinianThe pain and suffering of the people – including a chance meeting with a Palestinian representative in Washington, DC – underscore the attention director Kramer pays to showing the complexity of a conflict involving two groups of people with competing claims to the region they live in.
Director Kramer shows the complexity of a conflict involving two groups of people with competing demands.
It seems beyond the film's mandate to explore the power imbalance that allows an Israeli family to create the political will and pressure needed to achieve dateone released within two months, while thousands of Palestinians who were arrested and imprisoned without charge or trial during the war remain voiceless.
That said, Liat's commitment to peace is phenomenal. She was held captive by the family of the Hamas fighter who captured her, and she took the opportunity to explore their worldview while trying to illuminate her own.
“They wanted us to see them as people, and we wanted them to see us as people. So very quickly the conversations about our family and our lives started, and it worked,” she told the independent online newspaper Middle East Eye in July 2024. “I was completely dependent on these people. I wanted them to like me, I wanted them to get to know me, I wanted them to care about me. That’s how you survive.”
First draft of the story
Liats release brings both joy and sorrow. It is only then that she and her children learn that her husband died in captivity. But she is determined to continue working for fred, and she uses her position as a released hostage to fight for peace in a world where there is currently very little peace.
Holding Clay is a first draft of a story that is open and sensitive to the nuances of Middle Eastern history and politics.
