PopHorror Let's Get Scared
It’s always a joy to check out the films coming from MyIndie Productions. When I had the chance to watch the 2014 short, Third Temple, I was excited to see what new tales they had come up with this time.
Third Temple was co-written, co-produced and co-directed by Dolphin’s (read our review here) Itai Guberman and Asaf Angel. The 28-minute long short stars Ben Sela (Land Of The Little People 2017), Tomer Lev Tov (Longing 2014), Neta Bar Refael (Minimum Wage 2012), Amitai Kedar (Son Of Saul 2015), Josh Sagie (Four Days Away From Two Light Years 2014), and Moshe Shachar (Azimuth 2017).
Synopsis:
In Israel, in the years following the events of the Social Protests of Summer 2011 and the events that followed, life has become more and more difficult for the average citizen. Government corruption and the ever-rising costs of living have forced people into a quiet protest, left with no choice but to generally accept the status quo. Eventually, something has to give.
Israeli Independence Day 2017 (3 years in the future). Avner Peles (Ben Sela) wakes up in an unknown place, tied to a chair and his head covered. He has no idea how he got there or why. A masked man (Tomer Lev Tov) steps into the room and takes a seat in front of him. Avner now needs to find out why he is there and most importantly, how to get his freedom back.
This is a simply told story, but it is not a simple tale. There are only two locations: a TV News station and an unfurnished room. As four News anchors debate over the fault and reason for a hostage situation concerning over half of the Israeli members of Parliament, two men sit across from each other in an empty room, one tied to a chair and one wearing a generic face mask.
There is no action to speak of in Third Temple. The story unfolds organically through dialogue. As we discover the intentions of the masked man, the News anchors talk around in circles before finally zeroing in on what may actually be going on.
I’m going to be honest… political thrillers are not my nerd. I get enough political drama in real life, so going out of my way to watch something in the genre sets my teeth on edge. But this story is one I had never heard before. I had no idea what was going on over in Israel or why the entire population was in a suspended passive protest. I feel more informed for knowing, but I don’t feel good, as this was not a positive bit of information. This story broke my heart for the people in Israel. As if they haven’t suffered enough, now their own people are turning against them.
It’s also interesting that the one politician that the filmmakers chose to follow is a moral man… or, at least, he seems to be. So, what is the message here?
Watching Third Temple made me realize that the problems we have in the US are not the only ones in the world, and that there are even worse things going on in some of the least talked about places. It is an informative, powerful piece that offers no suggestions or answers. It is here to remind us that the people in power, especially career politicians, are not fooling anyone. If there’s no one good to vote for, the least you can do is pick the least dangerous candidate and hope for the best. Unfortunately, that never seems to fix anything.
You can see the short for yourself here.
