BYSTANDER

The kitchen scene is pure Hitchcock. We know he's a killer, and she's offering him soup! When the news started reporting on two terrorists, I thought my heart would stop. The suspense is unbearable.

The contrast between the dark streets and Yael's cozy, warm apartment works for the atmosphere. Home is supposed to be a fortress, but here it becomes a trap. The terrorists' suits make them look like ordinary businessmen, which amplifies the horror, Evil looks mundane...

Who, tell me, in their right mind lets a stranger into their apartment right after reports of a shooting? Her husband explicitly told her: Lock the door! But this film is a great lesson on how our naivety can kill us. Although, perhaps that naivety is exactly what saved her life.

This is a complex film. It doesn't justify terrorism, but it shows the human behind the enemy mask. Salim is scared, he doesn't want to die, he doesn't even know Hebrew other than Sababa. The moment he asks for water reminds us that in the face of fear, we are all just flesh and blood.

Amazing work with the language barrier. The entire suspense is built on the fact that Yael speaks Hebrew, and Salim doesn't understand a word. She asks "Are you okay?" and he answers with the memorized sababa, which sounds creepy and absurd in this context. It shows the total impossibility of dialogue between two worlds.

An interesting portrait of a reluctant terrorist. Khaled instructs him, manipulates him, You're a hero, everyone will say you're a hero. But we see only panic in Salim's eyes. His internal monologue: I am not like that, Not a hero reveals a deep internal conflict. He is not a fanatic, he is just a pawn.