Innocence (2022)

Making a war is a storyteller’s job. A good story is crucial to legitimise the use of military force. That’s why militaries need strong promotion and Israel is a model country in promoting its military ventures. We’ve successfully colonised, occupied and overgrown, and only got stronger and more accepted amongst the nations. Our history as persecuted Jews, our enlightened democracy are both in use in our solid PR kit. But before pitching our story to the world, we need to pitch it to our children. As moral corruption linked with apartheid thrives, avoiding service becomes a threat. For some children we’ll offer benefits, for most we’ll sell fictitious promises. Every child is screened to serve with bearable pressure and an adjusted amount of exposure to violence.
Innocence tells the story of children who resisted to be enlisted but capitulated. Their stories were never told as they died during their service. Through a narration based on their haunting diaries, the film depicts their inner turmoil. It interweaves first-hand military images, key moments from childhood until enlistment and home videos of the deceased soldiers whose stories are silenced and seen as a national threat.