The Skies are Closer in Homesh
Encyclopedia
The Skies are Closer in Homesh is a highly personal documentary
that follows a newly wed Jewish couple through their first few years of married life on a dangerous Israel
i settlement.
The film follows the evolution of her relationship with both her husband and her home through their crucial early stages. From a terrorist attack the night of Passover
that murdered close friends to the birth of her first child, Menorah turns on her camera to share highly personal moments.
Menorah's faith is strong, but at times she wonders why she's chosen to live on a settlement
. The view from the high hilltop is breathtaking, and she loves her neighbors. But there are only three families living in their area, and the hours she spends waiting for her husband to come home from work are lonely.
One of the film's most revealing moments comes when Menorah tries to learn how to use a gun. She says she’s never felt comfortable with guns. But given the realities of traveling alone, she’s had to reconsider. At one point, Menorah is seen standing in her kitchen, pregnant, practicing with her gun. She and her husband act out situations that would demand she act swiftly and agilely, but Menorah can't touch the gun without fumbling. The delicate woman has a hard time keeping a straight face and keeps laughing that the gun holster makes her look like a cowgirl.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that follows a newly wed Jewish couple through their first few years of married life on a dangerous Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i settlement.
Summary
The diarist documentary exposes what life is like for Menorah, a young and nervous settler, who was married on the day of a terrorist attack, spent her honeymoon trapped inside her home because of terrorism, and sleeps with a gun under her pillow.The film follows the evolution of her relationship with both her husband and her home through their crucial early stages. From a terrorist attack the night of Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
that murdered close friends to the birth of her first child, Menorah turns on her camera to share highly personal moments.
Menorah's faith is strong, but at times she wonders why she's chosen to live on a settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
. The view from the high hilltop is breathtaking, and she loves her neighbors. But there are only three families living in their area, and the hours she spends waiting for her husband to come home from work are lonely.
One of the film's most revealing moments comes when Menorah tries to learn how to use a gun. She says she’s never felt comfortable with guns. But given the realities of traveling alone, she’s had to reconsider. At one point, Menorah is seen standing in her kitchen, pregnant, practicing with her gun. She and her husband act out situations that would demand she act swiftly and agilely, but Menorah can't touch the gun without fumbling. The delicate woman has a hard time keeping a straight face and keeps laughing that the gun holster makes her look like a cowgirl.
See also
Other Documentaries about the conflict in Israel:- The Land of the SettlersThe Land of the SettlersThe Land of the Settlers is a five part documentary series created by Chaim Yavin, who was described by the Arab News as "the Israeli version of America’s Walter Cronkite". With a handheld camera, Yavin traveled throughout his homeland of Israel and interviewed a range of Palestinians and Israelis...
- At the Green LineAt the Green LineAt the Green Line is a 2005 documentary made by Jesse Atlas that profiles several members of Courage to Refuse, a political group that refuses service in the Israeli military, as well as several Israelis serving in the military as part of their reserve duty...
- My Dearest EnemyMy Dearest EnemyMy Dearest Enemy is an Israeli documentary that takes a behind-the-scenes look at Israel's secret diplomacy by sharing the highly-anticipated meeting between Israeli Amnon Lipkin-Shahak and Palestinian Hani El Hassan—both powerful leaders in opposite camps....
- All Hell Broke LooseAll Hell Broke LooseAll Hell Broke Loose is a 1995 Israeli documentary that follows the victims of a Hamas suicide bombing in Israel a year after the attack.-Summary:...
- Nadia's Friend
- The Temple Mount is MineThe Temple Mount is MineThe Temple Mount is Mine is a 2003 two-part documentary by Emmy Award-winning director Willy Lindwer that looks at why Muslims, Christians and Jews all lay claim to one of the holiest sites in the world.-Summary:...