Innocence

Regardless of your values, as an 18-year-old Israeli you have to join the army. For many young people, conscription hangs like a shadow over their teenage years, as it does for the young dead soldiers whose stories are highlighted in this gripping documentary. Innocence opens the diaries of those who died far too early because of this terrifying situation. Using rare home videos interwoven with military training videos, it paints a picture of children and adolescents being pressurised from an early age as they search for their own identity - with all its principles, fears and desires.

Israeli-born filmmaker Guy Davidi, known among others for his acclaimed film 5 Broken Cameras, complements his own experience with ten years of research. In this way, he once again manages to portray a heartbreaking portrait of the pain of his homeland. It is a pain of violence, division and forced militarisation - perhaps more palpable now than ever.