"Walk on Water" from 2004 is the story of two men from different cultures.
Eyal is an Israeli Mossad agent, and his assignment is to locate an old Nazi officer, Alfred Himmelman, and kill him. Though he's supposed to be dead, there is intelligence that he is still alive. Eyal is emotionally closed off. He is the child of a Holocaust survivor, and his wife has recently committed suicide. In the beginning of the film, we see him murder a major figure in Hamas.
He objects strenuously to his latest assignment, which is to locate an old Nazi, Alfred Himmelman, and kill him. This means he has to go undercover and befriend Himmelman's grandson, a gay German. At one point, Axel suggests that Eyal visit Germany, and Eyal tells him that's not going to happen.
Axel is in Israel to see his sister Pia. Eyal's cover is that of a tourist guide.
As the story unfolds, both men learn a lot about themselves and each other, and how their cultures have influenced them. The friendship they develop changes both men.
This is surprisingly a low-key film, with the characters acting very naturally. Lior Ashkenazi is excellent as Eyal, as is Knut Berger as Axel. As a result, the characters come across as very real and it makes the story believable.
The director, Eytan Fox, worked with the writer Gal Uchovsky to create two men so diametrically different, it's impossible to think that they could be friends.
There are some very powerful scenes, particularly the one in Axel's home. I imagine a lot of people don't like the ending, which seems pat, but I liked it anyway.
Thought-provoking film, well acted, well directed, and well photographed.
Eyal is an Israeli Mossad agent, and his assignment is to locate an old Nazi officer, Alfred Himmelman, and kill him. Though he's supposed to be dead, there is intelligence that he is still alive. Eyal is emotionally closed off. He is the child of a Holocaust survivor, and his wife has recently committed suicide. In the beginning of the film, we see him murder a major figure in Hamas.
He objects strenuously to his latest assignment, which is to locate an old Nazi, Alfred Himmelman, and kill him. This means he has to go undercover and befriend Himmelman's grandson, a gay German. At one point, Axel suggests that Eyal visit Germany, and Eyal tells him that's not going to happen.
Axel is in Israel to see his sister Pia. Eyal's cover is that of a tourist guide.
As the story unfolds, both men learn a lot about themselves and each other, and how their cultures have influenced them. The friendship they develop changes both men.
This is surprisingly a low-key film, with the characters acting very naturally. Lior Ashkenazi is excellent as Eyal, as is Knut Berger as Axel. As a result, the characters come across as very real and it makes the story believable.
The director, Eytan Fox, worked with the writer Gal Uchovsky to create two men so diametrically different, it's impossible to think that they could be friends.
There are some very powerful scenes, particularly the one in Axel's home. I imagine a lot of people don't like the ending, which seems pat, but I liked it anyway.
Thought-provoking film, well acted, well directed, and well photographed.