Word: mograbi
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...films that have a certain aesthetic complexity.” This stylistic complexity can contribute to a film’s overall intricacy, as in the case of “Z32,” where the weighty conversation between the Isreali solider and his girlfriend is interspersed with Mograbi singing Grecian chorus style. The director effectively confounds the gravity of his subject matter with the frivolity of song, a component that offended Palestinian audiences when it was screened in the West Bank. But whether Mograbi’s work is sympathetic to the manipulation of the Israel Defense Forces...
Like many living in Israel and the Palestinian Territories today, Avi Mograbi cannot recall a moment in his life without the presence of war or political strife. It comes as no surprise, then, that Mograbi, an Israeli filmmaker, deals with these elements in each of his highly stylized non-fiction films. Mograbi will visit the Harvard Film Archive on Sunday, Sep. 20 to give a lecture accompanying a screening of his most recent film, “Z32.” “Z32,” which is based on the confession of an Israeli soldier, describes...
...Mograbi really began his project as a documentary but soon realized that he was not fulfilling his aim of exposing Sharon's unsavory side. So the focus of the film shifts from Sharon to a fictional version of Mograbi himself. Between shots of Sharon on the campaign trail, the fictional Mograbi sits in his bland yellow den and describes the transformation he underwent in the course of filming...
...Mograbi's metamorphosis is hilarious. Initially an unwelcome member of the Sharon entourage, his sheer persistence in shadowing Sharon wins Mograbi a modicum of acceptance from staffers and finally from Sharon himself. He starts to dream of Sharon, picturing himself an intimate of the Sharon family. Some shots of Mograbi as he supervises the filming of campaign events show him nodding his head as he intently listens to Sharon;s speeches. By the end of the film he is out of control, dancing wildly to an Israeli pop version of "Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye" at a political...
Despite the on-screen Mograbi's complete about-face with respect to Sharon, Mograbi in real life still abhors the man and his politics. In a statement released about the film, Mograbi notes with some regret that this film may give Sharon "a free ride into the hearts of some who have a monstrous image of him." Mograbi is a master mimic and manipulator of film, but his occasional imitations or unflattering shots of Sharon do not leave a negative impression of the politician. Even when the camera lingers on Sharon's portly belly or dwells on his ungraceful manner...