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(Karov La Bayit)

MPAA Rating: Not yet rated.
Released in Theaters: November 2006 (limited)

Things are tense in Jerusalem. Soldiers patrol the streets and perform routine checks on passing Palestinians. It’s a city on constant terror alert, and a military presence offers at least a bit of defense in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

But the soldiers in this movie are teenage girls: rebellious wild-child Smadar (Smadar Sayar) and shy, timid Mirit (Neama Shendar). Their job is to stop Palestinian passersby, ask for identity cards, and write down details on special forms. And yes, in Jerusalem, both boys and girls are routinely called into military service.

The girls’ commander gives them strict instructions: don’t leave your post, don’t sit down, don’t smoke or eat, and don’t talk on your cell phones. But the girls have other things on their mind — namely, boys, friends, and life, in general.

Their polar-opposite personalities make things interesting, too. Mirit is painfully conscientious, while Smadar couldn't care less about the job. Part way through the movie, a bomb rocks the neighborhood, setting off a series of events that forge a bond between the mismatched pair.

Like many foreign films, this movie has a slower pace than domestic movies, and the subject matter is weighty. But it also has a good mix of humor, tragedy, tenderness, politics, and, most of all, friendship. The girls feel hopeless about the political climate in their city, but it doesn’t stop them from living their lives.

This movie also reminds us that nothing is black and white. The characters — even the commanders — are neither good nor evil, but rather a little of both. Just like real life. And above all, it gives us a chance to gain some insight into that troubled and often misunderstood region of the world.