When one of the undisputedly greatest actors of our time steps into the role of one of the inarguably greatest women in modern history, there’s a film that is not to be missed.
Helen Mirren as Golda Meir in “Golda” is Sunday, January 15’s offering from the Ajijic Jewish Film Festival. Especially timely since we have daily reminders of the current Israeli-Hamas War started by a surprise attack against Israel, “Golda” focuses on the traumatic 19 days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Egypt and Syria launched a military attack on a totally unprepared and stunned Israel.
Like the present-day attack, Israel had some notice that the Arabs were planning something, but the country was caught off-guard when higher ups ignored the intelligence. Hunched over and chain-smoking, Golda Meir has to make life and death decisions, relying on her military advisors, Minister of Defense, Moshe Dyan (Rami Heuberger), Chief of Staff “Dodo” Elazar (Lior Ashkenazi), and Field General, Ariel Sharon (Ohad Knoller). All of these supporting actors give strong performances which provide the necessary tension as Israel literally fights for its continued existence.
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