Vassilis Kroustallis reviews Asaf Saban's Israeli-Polish-German drama "Delegation" (Ha'Mishlahat).
Three Israeli teenagers, Frisch (Yoav Bavly), Nitzan (Neomi Harari), and Ido (Leib Lev Levin), as different as they are close, embark on a ceremonial school trip to Nazi concentration camps in this slightly quirky and deliberately non-reverential coming-of-age story from Israeli director (his second feature) Asaf Saban.
Director: Asaf Saban
Writer: Asaf Saban
Stars: Yoav Bavly, Naomi Harari, Leib Levin
For all these Israeli teenagers, it will be their first trip into the "real," non-national world, and (unsurprisingly) the purpose of the trip—a pilgrimage to the extermination sites—cannot overshadow all the personal experiences derived from the personal interactions. The insecure Frisch (who still needs to sleep with someone), the dashing but immature Ido, and the resourceful but indecisive Nitzan make up the trio navigating the nuances of friendship, jealousy, and anger, with the Shoah merely a distant experience to be understood.
"Delegation" begins with a solid, if somewhat overly elaborate, scenario of teenage interaction, before handing over to its three characters to present a more interesting portrait in the second half. It's a film about coaching (from "Schindler's List" and "Escape from Sobibor," shown in the coaching video menu, to group sessions analyzing individual experiences) and its resilience. Frisch gradually becomes the most interesting character of the three (with a captivating expression of wonder from Yoav Bavly), while Nitzan experiences his own struggles with morality and loyalty.
Each time one of these characters confronts another, "Delegation" shines and reveals the emotional instability (notoriously attributed to the younger generation). However, here it seems that the same restlessness permeates modern Israeli identity in general. Flags become the indispensable item for visiting former extermination sites, but young Israelis are taught to keep a low profile on the streets of large Polish cities. Comparing impressions of different extermination camps becomes a running joke here, and at times Frisch's completely novel experience at Auschwitz is more than a joke. It's more a sign that personal problems need to be addressed as much as group and communal nightmares.
With a montage that moves as easily as its protagonists between one mood and another, and with songs that run the gamut from the reverential to the playful, "Delegation" is a welcome exercise in self-centeredness. Its defining scene remains Frisch's encounter with "the Other" (the Poles), in which the simple exoticism (reciting a prayer in Hebrew) feels somehow more familiar than his grandfather's rehearsed Holocaust story. Though sometimes sloppy and laced with more teenage angst than its characterizations allow, "Delegation" is a must-see film. It juxtaposes the individual with the collective in such a delicate balance that it feels real and contemporary.
"Delegation" had its world premiere at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival (Generation 14+).
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