Jewish Film Festival Runs Oct. 18-22

Britain’sendgame in Palestine, of trying to halt theinflux of Jewish refugees after World War II and opposing underground groupsfighting for the state of Israel,was memorably depicted in the Hollywood epic Exodus. A more modest and human-scale Israelifilm, The Little Traitor, tells atiny piece of the story from a child’s point of view.

The LittleTraitor is the opening night selection of the 12th Annual Jewish FilmFestival, Oct. 18-22. All films will be screened at 7:30 p.m. at the Marcus NorthShore Cinema.

Filmed by writer-director Lynn Roth from a novel byIsraeli author Amos Oz, The LittleTraitor’s protagonist is an 11-year-old, Proffy (Ido Port), whose professedhatred for the British leads him anda couple of other boys into their own underground resistance cell. Proffy andthe gang paint BRITISH GO HOME on a wall, assemble a crude roadside bomb and play soldier in the cause ofZionism. But when one of the hated Brits, Sgt. Dunlop (Alfred Molina), refrainsfrom arresting him for violating the Jerusalemcurfew, Proffy hesitantly forms a friendship with this sad-eyed soldier whosees himself as a peacekeeper, not an occupier.

It was Dunlop who opened the door to friendship. Aphilo-Semite, the sergeant occupies himself with learning to read the Bible inHebrew and studying the Jewish philosopher Maimonides. Proffy preferred comicbooks, but the two strangers from apparently opposite ends of a sputteringguerilla war slowly come to trust each other. They play chess, shoot pool andtalk about girls. It was a respite for both of themuntil Proffy’s friends fromthe boy’s brigade see him with Dunlop and accuse him of betraying Israel.

The Little Traitor insightfullyrecreates the world of 11-year-old boyhoodthe mimicry of adult behaviorcoupled with sullen acts of rebellion, the romanticization of war and thediscovery of the beauty of women. Proffy’s friendship with Dunlop, along withhis cordiality with the Arab merchants in the bazaar of the Old City,also insists that what’s good in the human spirit can overcome the barriers ofhatred and mistrust that keep us divided.