Navdav Lapid's Policeman is a film examining the sociopolitical issues of Israel, and while it at first seems to be pertaining to the growing gap between the rich and the poor, the film's true message about violence is subtlety in-twined throughout. It's a film which follows two narratives on a collision course with each other in a powerful conclusion. The first part centers around a man who works as a policeman for the anti-terrorism unit of the Jerusalem police force. His wife is about to give birth any day now, his buddy is fighting cancer and he is in the middle of an internal investigation where four civilians were killed yet he is as cool as a cucumber, a man who has been trained to be cold, calm and confident. The other half concerns a group of young revolutionists whom are young and naive, they shout to the rooftops of social injustice, yet they themselves grew up in the upper middle-class. They want a revolution and naively turn to guns as their source of power in a world in which they want to be heard. Policeman follows these two distinct groups of individuals, the young revolutionists and the anti-terrorism unit, effectively showing how while they may appear very different, they are almost exactly the same. We routinely see the rituals of machismo on display among the police officers, as they perform their daily tasks seemingly drawing this false sense of power from their status as soldiers. On the other hand, the the young revolutionists treat their weapons as a source of power to be heard. The key to understanding Policeman is in understanding that this is a director who is highly critical of his countries obsession with violence. Nearly every scene in the film, even mere greetings among friends, is brooding with violence and weaponry. These people view it as a sense of power and control and the ending of the film perfectly captures how this mentality is what is cause of violence, not the guns themselves. These characters view guns as their power, their protection, their resolve yet when they are presented with the death and the outcome of violence their world is shattered, as the policeman specifically sees the humanity which is so easily erased. I don't think the Policeman is top notch storytelling in the progression leading up to its climax but it certainly is a powerful message about the false sense of control and power which weapons such as guns can provide. 8.25/10
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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