Private

Meant to encapsulate a broader historical reality, Saverio Costanzo's Private uses an Israeli army unit's takeover of a single Palestinian family's house (for scouting purposes) as a jumping off point to dramatize the cruelty of the occupation while also suggesting how it encourages the radicalization of its victims. The father, a teacher and rationalist, refuses to leave their home despite the fact that he, his wife, and their five children are permanently confined to the bottom floor and locked in a single room to sleep, while the soldiers commandeer the upper story. The oldest son and daughter insist on fighting back, spying on the soldiers, and even preparing a makeshift bomb despite their father's rejection of violence, while the middle son grows increasingly despondent and the two smaller children have trouble even understanding what's happening. The Israelis, meanwhile, are led by a volatile lieutenant who's clearly having a difficult time simply keeping his alternately bored and angry men vigilant. By presenting complex characters on both sides, the film humanizes what might have turned into a bloodless abstraction, while the clever staging within the confined locale manages to generate considerable tension. It's a pity that an awful song, with gruesomely obvious English lyrics, is added near the end—undermining the carefully cultivated mood—but that's not enough to ruin this otherwise thoughtful and compelling picture. Recommended. (F. Swietek)