A lyrical yet emotionally spare film about the unexpected casualties of war.
The Little Traitor (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:11
Fresh:6
Rotten:5
Average Rating:5.2/10
Synopsis:
Based on the novel Panther in the Basement by the world renowned author, Amos Oz, Little Traitor takes place in 1947 Palestine, just a few months before Israel becomes a state. Proffy Liebowitz, a...
Based on the novel Panther in the Basement by the world renowned author, Amos Oz, Little Traitor takes place in 1947 Palestine, just a few months before Israel becomes a state. Proffy Liebowitz, a militant yet sensitive twelve year old, has grown up under British occupation and wants nothing more than for the occupying British to get out of his land.
Proffy and his two friends are always plotting ways to terrorize the British until one evening, while he’s out after curfew; Proffy is seized by Sergeant Dunlop (Alfred Molina). Instead of arresting him, Sergeant Dunlop escorts him back home and a friendship begins to develop in the following weeks. Proffy starts to consider Dunlop a father figure, as his own father is cold and remote. Dunlop, lonely and poetic, loves the spirited boy and reads the Book of Samuel, Dunlap’s favorite part of the Bible. Proffy helps Dunlap with his Hebrew while Dunlap teaches Proffy difficult English words and provides the fatherly guidance missing in Proffy’s life.
As neighborhood tensions escalate between the British and the underground Jewish rebellion, their relationship becomes increasingly complicated. While Proffy has learned a great deal from his mentor, he is also shunned by his friends for this friendship and thus called a “traitor” by his neighbors and community. The resulting trial and shock that he could have such genuine affection for his “enemy” will change Proffy’s life forever.
Palm Beach International Film Festival Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film
Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. --© Regent Releasing
Starring: Alfred Molina, Ido Port, Theodore Bikel, Rami Heuberger
Starring: Alfred Molina, Ido Port, Theodore Bikel, Rami Heuberger, Gilya Stern
Director: Lynn Roth
Director: Lynn Roth
Screenwriter: Lynn Roth
Producer: Lynn Roth, Eitan Evan
Composer: Deborah Lurie
Studio: Westchester Films
Reviews for The Little Traitor
Poignant, child's view of the summer of 1947, just before the sun set on the Brit Empire in Jerusalem and everything changed, but does't catch the ruefulness of Oz's novel.
The cost of zealotry, and its collateral damage, aren't Roth's chief concerns -- humanity is -- but she manages to confect a film of both sweetness and subtle meaning.
Shooting on locations in Jerusalem, the film feels real and authentic with Roth getting the most out of the local atmosphere but it’s her fine screenplay and keen eye for casting that makes The Little Traitor stand out from the pack.
A muddled morality tale more interested in coming of age than getting of wisdom.
A pleasing but light nostalgia piece with a frustratingly hasty ending, The Little Traitor doesn't lead to any big twist or revelation. For viewers with a fondness for Israel, though, it amounts to cinematic comfort food.
Set during a fascinating and hard-to-reduce moment in history, the movie steers clear of any but the most basic conflicts and resolutions.
An adorable story of an unlikely friendship between a Polish-Jewish 12-year-old and a 50-something British sergeant during the British occupation of Palestine in 1947.
Small film about the relationship between a British soldier and Jewish boy in occupied Palestine starts out strong, then loses its unique point of view.
Latest News for The Little Traitor
October 15, 2009:
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