Zero Motivation

2014
7.2| 1h37m| en| More Info
Released: 03 December 2014 Released
Producted By: July August Productions
Country: Israel
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Filmmaker Talya Lavie steps into the spotlight with a dark comedy about everyday life for a unit of young female Israeli soldiers. The human resources office at a remote desert base serves as the setting for this cast of characters, who bide their time pushing paper, battling for the top score in Minesweeper, and counting down the minutes until they can return to civilian life. Amidst their boredom and clashing personalities, issues of commitment—from friendship to love and country—are handled with humor and sharp-edged wit.

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Reviews

Pluskylang Great Film overall
Console best movie i've ever seen.
Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
bbickley13-921-58664 So when I saw the movie's summary about a group of women being pencil pushers in the Israeli army, I was expecting something far different. My perception (which I got from movies) of the Israeli army is that every one who comes out of it seems to be real bad ass. This movie contradicts that, completely. The movie tells three different stories about different types of women in the army. A story of a woman who wants to be in command, a woman looking for a nice job in a nice place, and a woman who can't wait for her service to end. What I enjoyed most was how the filmmakers were able to construct characters who you can connect with. I can't put my finger on how it was done but I came out of this caring for the out come of all of them. Maybe it was a combination of the writing and the acting, or how the movie was edited to focus on the main characters and tell their stories. Whatever it was, it truly worked. Not knowing much about military service in Israel, I will assume the picture is displaying the emotion of what it's like to do it. From trying to play the male dominated game to just trying to get by. Overall, I was very impressed by it.
c2016098 I don't understand why this movie was made. It is so slight as to be non-existent. I will grant the possibility that there was something lost in translation: I'm not Israeli so maybe there are cultural aspects that don't translate. Also, I read the dialog in subscripts. Some have called it a dark comedy. Frequently this means "not funny" or "high concept, conceptually funny, but not actually funny." I did laugh twice, but that doesn't make it a comedy. In the first story of three related stories, a young woman commits suicide in a gruesome way. Ha ha. So maybe it's a drama then. But the drama is superficial and unbelievable, based on e.g. a nasty character, the office boss and apparently an officer, who is so over-the-top mean that the character is literally not believable. Other episodes are poorly written as when two characters go missing from an intense project for hours without being missed. There is attempted drama between some of the young women characters which is really no more than trivial friction among friends. There is a surreal scene where apparently a ghost enters someone's bed and that person might or might not be possessed for a few hours. There are farcical aspects such as when an impossibly slow paper shredder is suddenly able to fill an entire office with shreddings. There is a date gone sort of wrong interrupted by a gun-toting possibly- possessed woman. There is a shoot-out with staple guns that could have been funny but the context is that these characters are truly trying to harm the other. Despite these scenarios, all of this adds up to approximately nothing—a hollow experience, a wasted movie night.
Nozz Some elements of the movie are quite unbelievable, but the movie is clever enough to approach them gradually and only after achieving buy-in from the audience. What with the delicate balance of comedy and drama, when the girls start duelling with staple guns you truly aren't sure whether somebody's going to get terribly hurt or not. I've never been a fan of Dana Ivgy, sullen and sulky as she always looks, but the role here fits her; and it's a nice script, divided into ostensibly separate chapters but surprising the audience with links between them and not ending before even the shrewish valkyrie of a desk officer has been vouchsafed a moment of sympathy from the audience. If Nat Hiken were alive, I think he and his creation Sergeant Bilko would approve.
kolnoaMograbi How anyone could not enjoy *Efes Yachasei Enosh* is beyond me. The incomparable Dana Ivgy (Zohar) with her zinger lines and equally zing-y delivery, and the actress who portrays Irena (why is she not credited?) carry this zany, slightly dark IDF comedy.I subtracted one star from 10 because I found it unrealistic that a shot could be fired on an IDF base and no one comes running.Other than that, the plot is just complex enough with just enough loops to keep it moving, yet not confusing; and the characters were thoroughly differentiated, again simplifying things for the viewer.The story treats contemporary issues such as date rape, sadistic commanders, and the plight of women soldiers assigned to unchallenging administrative jobs. I recommend Zero Motivation highly.*By the way, I'd translate *yachasei enosh* יחסי אנוש as "people skills", but "motivation" works, as this crowd lacks both!