Jewish International Film Festival: Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive

Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive is a dark romantic comedy centred around one man’s journey to deal with his experiences of terrorism. Ronen Matalon, played by writer-director Yossi Atia, is haunted by residual trauma from growing up in Jerusalem and living through the slew of bombings and terrorist attacks in the early 21st century. Unable to escape the horrors of his past, he starts a ‘Terror Tour’, leading daily tourist groups around the various terror attack sites along Jaffa Road, in the hope that sharing his experiences will help him confront and release his trauma. On one such tour he meets and falls for Asia (Lihi Kornowski), a vibrant young woman who tries to help him let go of the past and appreciate the beauty of modern life. 

The film is well paced and cleverly structured. Over the course of a year, Ronen takes the groups on the same tour, always to the same landmarks and points of interest along Jaffa Road. However, through comically stuttered interactions with various nationalities, something new is revealed each time round: a memory, a fact, an anecdote. Bit by bit, the puzzle is pieced together and we get a detailed account of Ronen’s experiences with terrorism, and an insight into his psychological state. Knowing that the script is based off the real-life experiences of the director, we gain valuable insight into how the population of Jerusalem had to cope with the threat of terror in their daily lives.

Ronen is not a particularly charismatic protagonist: he is anxious, sweaty and socially uncomfortable. His daily life is consumed by his trauma and as such he puts up walls to anyone attempting to get close to him. His relationship with Asia is stilted and one sided, as his guarded and fearful nature doesn’t allow space for the romantic intimacy that she so clearly craves. His best friend Simon (Itamar Rose) tries to engage in the terror tour experience with him but is constantly met with dispirited indifference. Even his relationship with his father (Alik Shimonov) is a strained and unhappy one. Considering this film is autobiographical and sombre in content, it is understandable why the director maybe didn’t want to risk playing a parodic version of himself. However, seeing a bit more heart and humour in Ronen would have made him more of a sympathetic character, and thus his self help journey would have resonated stronger.

In a better light, Ronen’s earnestness is his best quality, fuelled by his determination to ensure that the truth of Jerusalem’s bloody history isn’t forgotten. His use of the terror tour to deal with his trauma is an interesting exploration of the importance of memory in relation to history, and how the two are intrinsically entwined.

The director employs cinema verite, or ‘truthful cinema’ techniques, particularly in the tour scenes, giving the film a strong documentary feel. The humour is absurdist and dark, often hard to recognise, surfacing through interactions rather than the punchlines. The romantic subplot does add some lightness to the film, and serves well as a tool for Ronen’s character progression, but feels inharmoniously tacked on to the rest of the film’s content. 

To look at a tragedy through the eyes of the innocent civilian is confronting and humbling. Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive is a film with a unique premise and an eye opening exploration of the way humanity copes with psychological trauma.

Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive is screening at the Jewish International Film Festival and screening at Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick and Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn.

Jewish International Film Festival 
Till Sunday 25 April 2021
jiff.com.au