In last year’s edition of the Oscars, the prize for the best documentary went to No other landthe portrayal of the destruction of the Palestinian community in Masafer Yatta by the Israeli army. Months after receiving the award, one of the advisers, activist Odeh Hadalin, was shot dead by an Israeli settler. This year, one of the documentaries nominated for the same statuette is Holding Liat (Until Liat returns), which shows the other side of the same conflict. Produced by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a dream, the black swan), you will find it in Filmin. The documentary follows the family of Liat Atzili, a history teacher who was kidnapped by members of Hamas when they raided the kibbutz where she lived with her husband.
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The Atzili family’s ties with two documentary film friends have made it possible to follow all the anguish of the process from the front line. Liat’s parents become the protagonists. The story is not approached from a melodramatic perspective: it is a documentary where there is so much emotional restraint that it even becomes strange at some point. Holding Liat it’s more than that. In a psychologically extreme situation, the documentary stimulates the political reflections of Liat’s parents on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. “This is not the future I envisioned for my children. When has there ever been a war that ended well? In fact, since Liat is smarter than I am, she figured it out long before.” The documentary shows the disenchantment with a utopian Israel that his father, Yehuda, imagined during the seventies and that he has never managed to see come true.
We have seen many images and official statements on television about the negotiations for the release of hostages, the demonstrations of family members and the staging of the exchanges with Hamas. The most interesting of Holding Liat is that it brings viewers closer to the hidden side of it all and reveals the division of Israeli society. Liat’s father’s interviews with US senators become disturbing because of the coldness and theatrics of politics. His unexpected meeting with a Palestinian lawyer can be read in a forced way as an effort at cordiality, but it is terribly uncomfortable for everything it exudes. Body language and tone say more than anything they express to each other. Inevitably, there are hidden bondages of fear and how that conversation can affect the outcome.
Apart from the family reunion scene and some shocking twist, the final interview with Liat, three months after her release, is very valuable. She calmly remembers a conversation she had with her husband years earlier about the border with Gaza. “Today, this border has a much deeper meaning.” We are facing the transformation of the protagonist. As a history teacher, her reflections suggest a path she regrets not having traveled before.
Aiko Tanaka
Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.
