Movie Review: Inbar Horesh’s Birth Right by Peter Nichols

Director Inbar Horesh’s female-led coming of age short film was inspired by the Israeli organization Birthright, which encourages young Jewish people to immigrate. The film was inspired by Nataliya Olshanskaya’s story of immigrating to Israel, Nataliya stars in the lead role as Natasha in the Birth Right Review.

Synopsis
Natasha is excited to travel to Israel to participate in a trip encouraging young diaspora Jews to immigrate there. When she manages to catch the attention of Shlomi, a handsome combat soldier, things turn ugly.

Birth Right Review
A voice narration over opening credits quotes David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister. Although it is framed as a question, it presents the ideology of repatriation with grandeur. It serves both as a historical and/or ancestral reference and also an economic call to claim a birthright or a Promised Land. The narrative shot against the background of the Negev (a semidesert in southern Israel) is a strong visual metaphor in the movie.

“It is in the Negev Desert that the Jewish youth will be tested-their pioneering strength and spiritual vigor, and creative and conquering initiative. Will they take advantage of the greatest, most precious, and rarest opportunity in the history of the entire nation-to create anew and to gain control of nature’s strongholds and fashion the destiny of a people and its country?”
– David Ben-Gurion (founder and the first Prime Minister of Israel)

While the opening shot is an ode to classical filmmaking of the 1940s-1960s, Birth Right review also sets up an invitation experience for the audience. The “narrator” as an external-viewer of the story offers the audience a piece of much-needed backstory. This organized trip for immigrants of Russian-speaking Jewish descendants dates back to a statue of the 1950s. We “fade in” to a shot of 21-year-old Natasha (Nataliya Olshanskaya) seated inside a tour bus in search of a bottle of drinking water while listening to a chat with two girlfriends. This search ironically comments on the “dryness” of the Negev; pulling the audience into a “thirsty-feeling” reality. While its a long bus trip from Ben Gurion Airport to the Negev (southern Israel).

The Official Trailer (English) for “Birth Right” A short film written and directed by Inbar Horesh, starring: Nataliya Olshanskaya, Kristina Sim, and Liza Staroselsky.

---

Much later the group addressed by two young IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) soldiers, “Ilya” and “Shlomi” both 21-year-olds, who serve as security, share repatriation experiences and intrigue the protagonists as they take an intimate likeness to Shlomi, the handsome soldier. The narrative serves up a need for a new language (Hebrew) multiple times as it primarily delivers in the Russian language. But, it reads like deceit (pause/acting/directing beat) to show that Ilya isn’t at all happy with his repatriation experience. The narrative comments on the reparation experience; while it holds its advantages, it also holds its complexities. The girls’ acquaintance sets up another “need” for jealousy that leads to tensions, antagonism, and separation. The three start together and are torn apart at the end though they decide to repatriate.

A gorgeous piece of cinematic storytelling and filmmaking adventure with an ancestral promise.

As the tour continues the girls’ likeness for Shlomi turns gradually into jealousy. Masha pushes back at Natasha and Asya over Natasha’s “encrypted talk” with Shlomi as she revealed her decision to repatriate. Masha explains that an immigrant child is born a Jew only through the mother, serving up complexity for Natasha. Earlier on, Natasha took a “WhatsApp voice note” from her mother who is bitter over her journey, her reply was rude, helping her conclude her repatriation. Anya (who is married), further crushes Kristina’s hope goes to the dance with Shlomi.

During a night party, Masha and Asya hook-up with others on the tour and Shlomi. Natasha rather strolls out of the party, eventually meeting up with Ilya, (who is not yet a citizen, though he repartrated at age 3 with his parents) for a friendly talk that turns intimate over a cup of hot tea. After making love overnight, Natasha leaves Ilya asleep on a mat against the desert floor to take a bath as she witnesses the horizon revealing the breaking of a new dawn. She will claim her birthright even if it takes her years to become a citizen.

---

In the final shot, two similar tour buses head over a narrow bridge into each other’s path. One is empty, while the other is filled. After a few minutes, the empty bus takes the bridge while the other reverse for the empty but to go across. In this coming-of-age story, it seemed everyone on the bus with Natasha repatriated.

co-Writer & Director: Inbar Horesh
co-Writer: Nataliya Olshanskaya

Cast
Roman Gudovich
Michael Lerner
Anton Makalenko
Nataliya Olshanskaya

Producer: Leah Tonic
Cinematography: Ilya Marcus
Film Editing: Shaked Goren
Sound Design: Neal Gibbs

More on the Negev
The Negev accounts for half of Israel’s land area, though oppressively hot, it is devoid of the type of sand dunes of the Sahara. It is filled with dirt, rocks, and canyons. It is also beautiful, highlighted by remarkable landscapes, waterfalls, caves, archeological sites, cities, craters, and rich history. There is an expressway through it, and it is home to tourists, rock climbers, bike riding, off-road driving, etc. David Ben-Gurion insisted the Negev be part of the Jewish state. He knew the region could be tamed and turned into a place where Jews could settle and prosper. More than 50 years later, his vision is been realized.

---

Tell us what you think of the interview with Birth Right Review. What do you think of it? What ideas did you get? Do you have any suggestions? Or did it help you? Let’s have your comments below and/or on Facebook or Instagram! Or join me on Twitter.

Follow Birth Right Review on social media
IMDb
Facebook
Instagram
Vimeo