Customer Reviews

Walk on Water

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

WALK ON WATER, directed by Eytan Fox, is as good a movie as you're likely to see. It is well directed, acted and photographed and has a great soundtrack including music by Bruce Springsteen, Buffalo Springfield and Gigliola Cinquetti. The linear plot is straight-forward and powerful. Eyal (Lior Ashkenzai), in the Israeli Secret Service, is in the business of killing terrorists. After the death of his wife, however, he gets a new assignment: to track down and take out an aging Nazi war criminal "before God does." The Nazi's gay grandson Axel (Knut Berger) will soon be visiting his sister Pia (Caroline Peters) who has left Berlin to live in a kibbutz in Israel. Eyal poses as an employee of "Horizon Tours Israel" in order to get close to the German brother and sister in an effort to find their grandfather.

Although all the actors give fine performances, the movie ultimately belongs to Ashkenzai with his swarthy good looks and moody blue eyes. It is fascinating to watch him grow from a methodical killer to someone else entirely. (I won't give away the plot here.) The director does not shy away from difficult questions: Why are Palestinians desperate enough to become suicide bombers? Is it always necessary to take vengence in your own hands? Are there circumstances when you should leave an old, sick criminal to heaven? Can you love the children (or grandchildren) of an enemy? Does killing breed more killing? Can straight men and gay men be friends?

The movie is ultimately about hope and forgiveness. The ending that takes place at the Sea of Galilee, which is all about the title of the movie, will take your breath away.

Director, Eytan Fox should be commended for making such brave, enlightening, and totally compelling film. Walk on Walker covers much intellectual and artistic ground and is easily the best film of the season so far. The film also features such a staggeringly real performance by sexy Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi that viewers will, without difficulty, remember it as the best for a lead actor in quite some time. Walk on Water, although brimming with cerebral ambition is mostly a meditation on vengeance and forgiveness taking on the hardened and tough heart of Israel, where the past and the present inevitably collide in a country that still wrestles with it's demons.

Eyal (Ashkenazi) is a Mossad special agent and assassin with a rough, sarcastic manner. The movie opens with him targeting a suspected Arab terrorist on a ferry in Istanbul. He manages to pull off the hit successfully, but then his supervisor (Gidon Shemer) sends him on an unusual assignment: He is to track down a Nazi war criminal in hiding, while posing as a tour guide to spy on the old man's adult grandchildren. The younger grandchild, Axel (Knut Berger) is in Israel to visit his big sister Pia (Caroline Peters). Pia is an idealistic German émigré who lives on a kibbutz and is in flight from the darker corners of her family history. Innocent, bourgeois, and liberal, Axel and Pia are appalled by the mistakes of their German past.

When Eyal first meets them, he's initially put on edge by their naïve, noninterventionist, and tolerant ways, but as he drives Axel around the historical sites of Israel, he begins to feel a strange affinity for the kindhearted, soft-spoken boy. Driven to find out the whereabouts of their grandfather, he plants a microphone in Pia's bedroom and eavesdrops on their conversations at night. But it's all to no avail; he learns nothing and dismisses them as "Hansel and Gretel arguing." By day, he drives Axel from the Sea of Galilee to the Wailing Wall, torn between strangling this Palestinian-loving peacenik and wanting to get to know him better.

Deep down Eyal is getting sick of the life of a revenge assassin, and when he returns to Tel Aviv to find his wife dead, from suicide, he becomes even more disillusioned with killing. He's also shocked to find himself inexplicably drawn to Axel and Pia in ways that he just can't quite fathom. When Eyal finds out the Axel is gay, and witnesses him flirting, and then later sleeping with Rafik (Yusef Sweid), a Palestinian Arab in a local gay bar, he initially withdraws. But a sudden and reluctant trip to Germany forces both men to reconsider their political and erotic allegiances. The ultimate climax is both riveting and horrifying as Eyal, finally confronts Axel's Nazi grandfather, and is forced to reconsider his life as an assassin.

Walk on Water does a fine job of presenting the lives of young, modern Jews and Germans, who are constantly forced to live under the shadows of the parents' wars. But the film also effectively breaks down the gay/straight stereotypes. In one scene, Eyal asks Axel what sex with another man is really like - it makes for one of the funniest and snappiest gay/straight dialogues ever seen on film. Eyal is a butch, truculent, masculine he-man, but he possesses a formidable intelligence that occasionally allows him to show his feminine and sensitive side. It's absolutely fascinating to watch him grow as he lets down some of his many defenses and is forced to reassess his entire worldview.

Possessed with a taught, intelligent script, and some fine performances by his leads, Fox has made a formidable movie - a substantial meditation on contemporary sexual, social, and emotional politics. Two disparate cultures initially collide, but ultimately find common ground, and while in doing so, also learn to forgive. Fox raises some difficult and poignant questions about this absolution, and whether the Holocaust can continue to be leveraged for moral certainty as it inevitably recedes and fades into history. Walk on Water is thrilling film that is full of astute cross-cultural observations, while also managing to possess an enormous and significant universal appeal. Mike Leonard April 05.

Eyal is an assassin for the Israeli secret service, and is put on a mission to find an elderly Nazi known for his war crimes that has been in hiding, and suspected of still being alive. After the suicide of his wife, Eyal, a man who has never been able to cry, finds his life changing through the circumstances and people he meets on the mission. The award-winning "Walk on Water" is a tri-lingual film so brilliantly written and cast, that there is not a single scene that is not relevant, and it captures one's attention from start to finish.

Lior Ashkenazi is fantastic as Eyal, and Knut Berger gives a sensitive, terrific performance as Axel, the grandson of the old Nazi. Also good are Caroline Peters as his sister Pia, and Gideon Shemer as Menachem, Eyal's boss. Peters and Berger also had a hand in writing the marvelous script. Directed with perfect pacing by Eytan Fox, one also gets a cinematic tour of Israel, and parts of Berlin, which add to the interest of the film.

"Walk on Water" is a psychological drama, as well as a spy thriller, and touches on many facets of human life. Eyal, the man who "kills everything that comes near him," discovers life within himself, and comes to acceptance of himself and others, through Axel, his opposite in every way. In Hebrew, English, and German with subtitles, this film is worthy of one's time and stands up to many viewings, thanks to its taut, intelligent script and superb acting. Total running time is 103 minutes, and though the box says there is a "Making-of Featurette," my DVD does not include it on the menu.

Walk on Water is now on my list of favorite movies. I have watched it several times and have enjoyed it every time. The actors are fantastic. They are totally believable and when you are through watching the movie, you feel as if you have made new friends.

I had not seen Lior Ashkenazi, Knut Berger nor Caroline Peters in any movie before, but because of this movie, I plan to search out and watch other movies of theirs. The director, Eytan Fox, was born in New York, but was 2 when his family immigrated to Israel. I will also have to check out other movies he directed, as he did a wonderful job in this movie.

The last part of this movie was totally unexpected. What happened in Germany and then back in Israel. I don't want to make this review a spoilier, so I won't say just what it was. But I will say this, the movie ended happily, which doesn't happen too often in a movie of this kind.

So anyone who is interested in German-Jewish relations will throughly enjoy this movie. Also anyone who enjoys surprises in a movie, will enjoy this movie. Plus it is a little bit of Israeli James Bond. And if you like a happy-feel good ending, this is the movie for you.

And for those of you who don't speak Hebrew or German, don't worry, most of the movie is in English and what isn't has subtitles.

On August 30, the North American (NTSC) version was released, and the one I had pre-ordered was recently delivered. For the last two months, I'd had the PAL edition I had ordered directly from Israel. When I watched the NTSC version, I was able to compare the two editions.

First, the PAL edition really does have a better picture, because it has 20% more lines of resolution on the screen, but the NTSC picture looked pretty good. The NTSC edition has larger yellow subtitles (the PAL ones are a bit smaller and white), but the yellow subtitles looked a bit fuzzy around the edges on my large-screen TV, even though the rest of the picture was quite clear. The white subtitles looked a bit sharper.

On the Israeli edition, you have options of no subtitles, English subtitles, or Hebrew subtitles (which I found useful when some of the accented English was hard to understand). On the NA version, it's either English for everything (captioning), or just English when Hebrew or German were being spoken.

Now the bad part. The Israeli version just starts with a 30-second commercial, all in Hebrew, advertising a brand of TV and then goes right into the movie, with a much classier opening montage behind the menu. The NA version starts with a whopping EIGHT previews, unless you intercept them first, in which case it just goes through all its groan-inducing FBI warnings, and then several studio headers, and releasing info and such, before the movie finally starts.

But the WORST difference? The Israeli version is loaded with fascinating cast interviews, background information about the making of the movie, theatre trailers for the movie, a feature about all the excitement when it opened at the Berlin Film Festival, and a segment where a well-known Israeli TV interviewer does a promo for the film. Much of it is in Hebrew, but with English subtitles.

It turns out, for example, that Knut Berger really is gay. Caroline Peters' grandfather really was a Nazi (he was in the S.S., yet). Ernest Lenart, who plays the Nazi grandfather, is actually a German Jew who is himself a survivor of the Holocaust. Lior Ashkenazi, who plays toughguy Eyal has talked on live Israeli TV about having had an adult love affair with another man, like he does (implied) in this movie.

But you wouldn't know any of that if you'd only bought the NA edition -- because contrarily, the NA edition has NOTHING in the way of extras, probably to make room for all eight of those previews! The case mentions a "making of" feature, but it isn't listed anywhere on the menu. And believe me, I looked for it. Whose idea was THAT?

By the way, I notice that, in interviews, the director has been confirming what I said about the real relationship between the two men. It's almost comical to see people being miffed at the suggestion they were intimate, as if they can't grasp that a macho guy could also be attracted to a man.

Personally, I think the director and his gay spouse of 17 years (who wrote the screenplay), planned it as a clever "in-joke" just to see who of the non-gay audience would "get it". From the looks of it, it looks like not many did....

This film is about finding a Nazi approximately 50 years after World War II in order to assassinate him. The Mossad agent, Eyal, just returned from Turkey and killed a terrorist there. His new assignment is to be a tour guide to a young German named Alex Himmelman, whose grandfather was the Nazi killer. The plan is to get friendly with this tourist and learn whether or not his grandfather is still alive, then "to do God's work before God is ready to take him" according to the Director of Mossad. The elder Himmellman is believed to be alive in Argentina where he escaped after the war. Unfortunately, when Eyal arrives home after the Turkish assignment, he finds his wife dead on their bed. She had committed suicide ... This life-altering event may affect his judgement and skills according to his superior. He is offered counseling but declines. His shooting abilities are tested on a target range from time to time, to ensure he is able to complete this important mission.

The film is fascinating on many levels. It delves into a deeply serious subject and questions the ethics of doing this type of work in a most creative and artistic manner. As Eyal becomes more friendly with Alex and his sister Pia who lives on a kibbutz, he begins to like them. Eyal places a bug in Pia's apartment to catch any conversation they may have about their grandfather's past. The conversations are all innocent until one night, when Alex tries to pursuade Pia to return to Berlin to visit her parents, to attend her father's birthday party. It turns out, Pia had a huge fight with her dad about the cover-up of what her grandfather had done during the war. One does wonder, why does the granddaughter of a Nazi end up working in a kibbutz in Israel? The film builds suspense and mystery based on this very question. The complex nature of the film makes it a superior viewing experience. The subject of the film is dealt with in a senstive manner and is balanced with humor. Eyal is played by a very handsome Israeli actor who befriends Alex and then learns by chance that Alex is gay. This subject is presented in a natural flow within the story line of the film ... The metaphor of "walking on water" as Jesus did on the Sea of Galilee is used with great affect and meaning. The viewer will be thrilled and entertained as intensity builds and the mysteries become more complex before they are resolved. There is a huge unexpected climax before the surprise ending brings about a 360 degree resolution to the conflicts. This is a most highly recommended viewing experience. Erika Borsos (pepper flower)

I enjoyed the film very much and would highly recommend it. After reading the various reviews, I am reminded that the viewer sees a film through his own filters. I didn't walk away with many of the impressions that appear throughout the various reviews.

What I liked best, was what one reviewer seemed to like least. I found that the director was very subtle in dealing with many issues that can provoke strong reactions: homosexuality is not a theme, more of a fact. The Jewish/German issue is aging, but not dead. The Israeli/Palestinian issue is very much alive. The occupation continues, as do the suicide bombings. Or, the suicide bombers continue, as does the occupation. The viewer is not manipulated on any of these issues. They are brought up as they are.

It's a good movie, and I'm surprised that it didn't come to a theatre near me (Germany). I think it would appeal to the "mass movie audience".

I found this movie to be a very moving and profound movie experience. "Walk on Water" tackles some very "heavy" issues-the "gay/straight" issue, the Israeli/ Palestinian issue the German/Jewish issue which are all very intense thought provoking things to think about and to deal with. However, in this marvelous movie no definite answers, to the aforesaid conflicts, are given. The movie just reflects human beings coming together and understanding each other a little more than they did before and ultimately becoming better people just by getting to know another human that might be radically different than they are.

The character Eyal, at the beginning of the movie, starts off as a cold, unsmiling, unfeeling, extremely "butch" "hit man" for a very militant Israeli fringe faction. One of his assignments is to infiltrate a German family in order to find out the whereabouts of the German family's old grandfather who was a murdering Nazi during the Nazi era and who has been hiding out in Argentina since the war. His mission, of course, is to kill him. The old Nazi's grandchildren are in Israel. The granddaughter is, defiantly, living in a kibbutz (she knows of her grandfather's Nazi background); the gay grandson comes to visit his sister with the idea of persuading her to return to Germany for their father's 70th birthday. Eyal, the mercenary poses as a tour guide to Axel the gay grandson. Eyal and Axel become unlikely friends. Their friendship ultimately changes the lives of ALL involved.

It really irritates me that some reviewers on other boards have reduced the blossoming friendship of Eyal (a straight man) and Axel (a gay man) to just merely one of sexual attraction. I failed to see the sexual attraction between the two men. I only saw a life changing friendship between the two men. It might come as a surprise to some in our society that it IS possible for a gay man and a straight man to form a deep, lasting and yes an affectionate friendship that is NOT sexual. I KNOW this from experience. Anyway, the friendship between Axel and Eyal changes them both-Eyal becomes more human and moves beyond a "killing machine"-he even learns to laugh and to realize that friendship can be found in someone that is different than him, a gay man! Axel learns to have more understanding of some very deep issues (i.e., the German/Jewish and Israeli/Palestinian conflicts)--the bottom line is that Eyal marries Axel's sister NOT Axel!!

The acting by all involved is superb. I can see why Lior Ashkenazi (Eyal) is a big star in Israel. He is not only easy on the eye but a very dynamic actor. Watch his eyes; they express volumes. You can see him go from an unfeeling and unloving person that is capable of injecting poison into a smiling little boy's father without blinking to a baby bouncing father with sentimental dreams. This great film wonderfully shows this amazing transformation.

If you are into profound movies that make you think, buy this film.

Eytan Fox ('Yossi & Jagger', and others) is an important director to watch. Born in the USA and emigrated to Israel at the age of two, Fox understands the art of cinematic storytelling and in WALK ON WATER he brings this impressive tale of universal and personal forgiveness written by Gal Uchovsky with collaboration by actors Knut Berger and Caroline Peters, and Andreas Struck to the screen with finesse, subtlety, and grace. His in a name to watch.

Films dealing with the aftermath of Hitler's annihilation of the Jews and their subsequent formation of the haven Israel have been many and variably successful, primarily because the Jew vs Nazi histories have been so polarized to appeal to all audiences who need to have good guys vs bad guys easily identified for them. This beautiful film refuses to go there, but instead mixes the young people of Germany and Israel in a manner that finally enlightens us as to the process of letting go, of forgiveness in order to move ahead with living.

Eyal (the dashingly handsome and sensitive actor Lior Ashkenazi) works for the Israeli group headed by Menachem (Gideon Shemer) whose life's work it is to track down and kill all remaining Nazi perpetrators of the concentration camps. Eyal is a damaged man, his wife has committed suicide partially because of his job as hired assassin of anti-Israeli people, and he has finally grown weary of Menachem's obsession to exterminate all living Nazis. Yet he is assigned one more 'victim', an old man who is the grandfather of two German young people - Pia (Caroline Peters) who happily lives in an Israeli kibbutz and her brother Axel (Knut Berger) who has come to Israel to plead with his sister to return to Berlin to her estranged parents for her father's birthday. Pia knows of her grandfather's Nazi war crimes and resents that her parents had helped him escape from being tried as a war criminal.

Menachem assigns Eyal to be Axel's 'tour guide' in Israel, hoping to find a path to their grandfather, the war criminal. Axel is gay and during his time with Eyal touring the sites of Israel the two grow warmly as friends, Eyal asking many penetrating questions about Axel's gay lifestyle. Pia, Axel and Eyal become friends and when Pia refuses to join Axel in returning to Berlin for the father's birthday, Eyal 'consents' to accompany him. Several incidents occur both in Israel and Berlin that bond Eyal and Axel and that unveil some of Eyal's shaky demons of Arab hate, homophobia, and guilt over his wife's suicide. Yet for the first time Eyal has a man with whom he can relate and he grows fond of Axel.

In Berlin Eyal is warmly accepted into Axel's vast home. At the birthday party Axel displays his love for Israeli folk dancing as a gift to his father, engendering kind feelings from Eyal. But suddenly the grandfather is wheeled into the room by his attending nurse, repulsing Axel, and Eyal leaves: Meachem has followed him to Berlin and tells Eyal to terminate the old man. Eyal returns to the house and is unable to carryout his task, and the resulting resolution of the 'deed' and the manner in which Eyal and Axel come together is one of those magic moments of storytelling, one that equates with the miraculous ability to walk on water.

The cast is superb, always allowing us to see the hidden corners of intent, motivation, and lasting resentment as well as the opening of the doors of ultimate forgiveness and life. WALK ON WATER is a thriller, an espionage film, an historic moment, and a love story told with richly detailed sensitivity and bravura. Highly Recomended. Grady Harp, September 05

We saw the Israeli film Walk on Water last night. This is a very intriguing film about baggage. Heavy emotional baggage. Not just "I'm haunted by my wife who committed suicide" kind of baggage (though there is that too), but even deeper collective cultural/national undercurrents, the burden of guilt of entire peoples and entire generations. Not just Israelis and Palestinians (though there is that too), but Israelis and Germans, younger Israelis and older Israelis, younger Germans and older Germans, and the inevitable 700-pound gorilla in that room, the Holocaust. And as if there's not enough psychic conflict to be mined in all of that fodder, layer on top of it a macho straight man confronting homosexuality. If this sounds like a recipe for a massively iconic story full of plot and characters contrived to effect the necessary symbolic gestures, it is indeed that. But the amazing thing is that the characters are genuinely and engagingly enacted, and I found myself pulled into their unusual story. The symbolism crept in disarmingly, not pedantically. The symbols were inhabited by dimensional people with real charms and flaws. Or perhaps it was just that each character was animated by multiple symbolic types at the same time, making them complex and multi-dimensional, rather than flat stereotypes. Either way, I found it fresh and engaging. (And along the way, a nice scenic Israel travelogue as well.) The title comes from an early scene with one character standing at the Sea of Galilee, and musing that he thinks it is possible to walk on the water, but you have to cleanse yourself first, completely unburden your heart. The film of course then shows us that completely unburdening one's heart is as easy as walking on water. You may not be completely unburdened of your baggage at the end of the film, but at least you'll know where some of the handles are.