Shoshana (film)

Last updated

Shoshana
Shoshana poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Michael Winterbottom
Screenplay by
Produced by
  • Massimo Di Rocco
  • Josh Hyams
  • Luigi Napoleone
Starring
Cinematography Giles Nuttgens
Production
companies
  • Vision Distribution
  • Revolution Films
  • Bartlebyfilm
Distributed by Altitude Film Distribution
Release dates
  • September 8, 2023 (2023-09-08)(TIFF)
  • February 23, 2024 (2024-02-23)(UK)
Running time
120 min.
CountryUK
LanguageEnglish

Shoshana is a 2023 British biographical thriller film directed by Michael Winterbottom.

Contents

The film is set in 1930s/1940s British Mandatory Palestine. It follows the tragic love story of Shoshana Borochov (Irina Starshenbaum), daughter of one of the founders of socialist Zionism, and British police officer Tom Wilkin (Douglas Booth), [1] while Wilkin and fellow police officer Geoffrey J. Morton (Harry Melling) [2] hunt for Zionist militant Avraham Stern (Aury Alby). [3]

Plot

Set in 1938, the film takes place in Tel Aviv, where tensions are high as the British, under their League of Nations mandate, attempt to maintain order in a city with a mixed Palestinian and Jewish population. Thomas Wilkin, a British deputy superintendent of the Palestinian police, becomes romantically involved with Shoshana, the daughter of Ber Borochov, a co-founder of the Zionist labor movement.

Cast

Production

Winterbottom developed the film for many years. In 2010, Jim Sturgess, Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen were announced as its stars. While the film never entered production in 2010, Winterbottom did shoot documentary footage in Israel at the time with surviving participants in the events. [4]

Filming began in October 2021 in the town of Ostuni in Italy, which doubled for Tel Aviv. [5]

The screenplay was written by Winterbottom, Laurence Coriat and Paul Viragh. [6]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. [6] It was released by Altitude Film Distribution on 23 February 2024 in the UK. [7] It will be released in the US by Greenwich Entertainment later in 2024. [4]

Reception

The movie received a generally positive critical reception, holding a 70% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 27 reviews. [8] Ellen E. Jones gave the film four out of five stars in her review in The Observer . Jones described the film as "intelligent and compelling", continuing to praise it for "giving valuable insight into the variance of opinion within the era’s Zionist movement." [9] Film critic Mark Kermode also praised the film: "The fact that most of what the story tells us is actually true, I think gives it a kind of a real sense of bite that this relationship does become a microcosm of a much wider conflict." [10] John Nathan of The Jewish Chronicle wrote "Winterbottom deserves credit for conveying complexity on a subject where fervently held opinion much prefers simplicity." However, Nathan criticised the film for doing "nothing to reflect the huge proportion of modern Israel’s population that originates in the Middle East and Africa." [11] Hannah Brown of The Jerusalem Post felt that the scope of the story and setting was better suited to a miniseries format: "But somehow, the wide canvas here doesn’t present a satisfying picture, despite the echoes of the conflict that continue till today. I almost wished this were a mini-series rather than a movie, so each character could be developed further. Tel Aviv of this era was so complex, that it defeats this attempt to tell its story in two hours." [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel Weisz</span> English actress (born 1970)

Rachel Hannah Weisz is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received several awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Peabody Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Givatayim</span> City in Israel

Givatayim is a city in Israel east of Tel Aviv. It is part of the metropolitan area known as Gush Dan. Givatayim was established in 1922 by pioneers of the Second Aliyah. In 2022 it had a population of 61,924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Legion</span> Jewish volunteer force in World War I

The Jewish Legion was a series of battalions of Jewish soldiers who served in the British Army during World War I. Some participated in the British conquest of Palestine from the Ottomans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Winterbottom</span> English film director

Michael Winterbottom is an English film director. He began his career working in British television before moving into features. Three of his films—Welcome to Sarajevo, Wonderland and 24 Hour Party People—have competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He and co-director Mat Whitecross won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival for their work on The Road to Guantanamo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Melling (actor)</span> British actor (born 1989)

Harry Edward Melling is an English actor known for playing Dudley Dursley in five Harry Potter films (2001–2010) and Harry Beltik in The Queen's Gambit (2020). His grandfather was actor Patrick Troughton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayelet Zurer</span> Israeli actress

Ayelet Zurer is an Israeli actress known for her work in independent films, major blockbusters, and television. She has received several awards throughout her career including Best Actress at the Israeli Academy Awards for her role in Nina's Tragedies (2003) and Best Actress by the Israeli Academy of Television for her roles in BeTipul and Hostages in 2006 and 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoshana Persitz</span> Israeli politician

Rosalia Gillelovna "Shoshana" Persitz, also known as Shoshana Persitz, was a Zionist activist, educator and Israeli politician.

Socialist Workers Party was a political party in the British Mandate of Palestine from 1919–1922. Its followers were known as Mopsim.

Shoshana is a Hebrew feminine first name. It is the name of at least two women in the Bible and, via Σουσάννα, it developed into such European and Christian names as Susanna, Susan, Susanne, Susana, Susannah, Suzanne, Susie, Suzie, Sanna and Zuzana. In Ethiopia it became Sosie, Sosina, Sosena, while in North Africa it yielded Sawsen and Sawsan.

Yisrael Borochov, is an Israeli musician, composer, and arranger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaffa</span> Ancient port and city in Tel Aviv, Israel

Jaffa, also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on the Mediterranean coastline.

<i>Out in the Dark</i> 2012 Israeli film

Out in the Dark is a 2012 Israeli romantic drama film which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2012 and in Israel in the Haifa International Film Festival in October 2012. It is the directorial debut of Michael Mayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poale Zion</span> 20th-century Jewish political party and organisation

Poale Zion was a movement of Marxist–Zionist Jewish workers founded in various cities of Poland, Europe and the Russian Empire at about the turn of the 20th century after the Bund rejected Zionism in 1901.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ber Borochov</span> Founder of the Labor Zionist movement (1881–1917)

Dov Ber Borochov was a Marxist Zionist and one of the founders of the Labor Zionist movement. He was also a pioneer in the study of the Yiddish language.

Labor Zionism or socialist Zionism was the left-wing, socialist variant of Zionism. For many years, it was the most significant tendency among Zionists and Zionist organizations, and was seen as the Zionist faction of the historic Jewish labour movements of Eastern Europe and Central Europe. Labor Zionism eventually developing local movements in most countries with sizable Jewish populations. Unlike the "political Zionist" tendency founded by Theodor Herzl and advocated by Chaim Weizmann, Labor Zionists did not believe that a Jewish state would be created by simply appealing to the international community or to powerful nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany, or the former Ottoman Empire. Rather, they believed that a Jewish state could only be created through the efforts of the Jewish working class making aliyah to the Land of Israel and raising a country through the creation of a Labor Jewish society with rural kibbutzim and moshavim, and an urban Jewish proletariat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Am Yisrael Foundation</span> Israeli non-profit pro-Zionist organization

Am Yisrael Foundation is a Tel Aviv and New York–based foundation and umbrella nonprofit organization for a variety of initiatives that promote Zionist engagement among Jewish young adults residing in Israel, including providing leadership platforms for young Jews who have made Aliyah, or are contemplating immigration to Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoshana Borochov</span> Jewish Journalist and spouse of Thomas James Wilkin

Shoshana Borochov was the daughter of Ber Borochov, one of the founders of socialist Zionism. For over a decade she was married to Thomas James Wilkin, an Assistant Superintendent in the Criminal Investigation Department of the Palestine Police, who was assassinated by the Lehi on September 29, 1944.

Irina Vladimirovna Starshenbaum is a Russian actress. For her role in T-34, she won the TEFI award for Best Actress and was a nominee for the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress.

References

  1. ↑ Vourlias, Christopher (18 August 2022). "Michael Winterbottom Says 'No Regrets' About Setting Sky's COVID-19 Drama 'This England' Before Boris Johnson's Downfall". Variety. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  2. ↑ Wise, Damon (30 August 2023). "Michael Winterbottom Talks About His Period Drama 'Shoshana' Ahead of Its TIFF World Premiere: "Where We Know The Facts, We've Stuck To The Facts"". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "Michael Winterbottom says Boris Johnson series 'This England' not revised after partygate revelations". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 Ntim, Zach (14 December 2023). "Michael Winterbottom Drama 'Shoshana' Lands U.S. Deal". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  5. ↑ Cellie, Flavio. ""The Promised Land", un thriller ad Ostuni come fossimo a Tel Aviv". La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno (in Italian). Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Shoshana". TIFF. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Altitude Films - Shoshana". Altitude Films. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  8. ↑ "Shoshana". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  9. ↑ Jones, Ellen E. (26 February 2024). "Shoshana review – Michael Winterbottom's compelling romantic thriller set in 30s Palestine". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  10. ↑ Mark Kermode reviews Shoshana - Kermode and Mayo's Take. February 2024. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024– via YouTube.
  11. ↑ Nathan, John (22 February 2024). "Shoshana: 'It's not even-handed when it comes to depicting Jewish victims of violence'". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  12. ↑ Brown, Hannah (31 January 2024). "New film 'Shoshana' tells a love story in the shadow of history - review". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.