The Stronghold
Synopsis
Sinai Desert, Yom Kippur War, 1973. In a remote outpost, a company of Israeli soldiers are overwhelmed by a sudden Egyptian onslaught. After a week of ceaseless assaults, the survivors face imminent doom. With lives hanging by a thread, a young lieutenant and an army doctor confront a soul-shattering choice: a desperate last stand or a perilous gamble that could betray everything they stand for.
Starring Michael Aloni (“Shtisel”), Daniel Gad (“The New Black”), and Uri Blufarb (“Pink Lady”), this thrilling drama by Lior Chefetz (“Sky Raiders”) is a must-see story of grace under fire that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Credits
Director(s)
Lior Chefetz
Producer(s)
Chilik Michaeli, Avraham Pirchi, Moshe Edery, Leon Edery
Co-Producer(s)
Shalom Eisenbach
Script
Lior Chefetz
Cinematography
Ram Shweky
Editor
Amit Ginton, Danielle Avitzur, Noy Barak, Zohar Sela
Original Music
Ariel A. Blumenthal
Cast
Michael Aloni, Daniel Gad, Tom Amsalem, Uri Blufarb, Amir Tesler, Aviv Pinkas, Daniel Moreshet
Original Language
Hebrew
Subtitles
Hebrew, English
Sound Designer
Itzik Cohen, Yuval Bar On
Inspired by the Book
"The Doctor’s Option" by Dr. Nahum Werbin, M.D.
Festival Highlights
Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles, USA, Official Selection, 2024
UK Jewish Film Festival, UK, Official Selection, 2024
Reviews
-
"A thrilling and terrifying movie about the Yom Kippur War. Writer and director Lior Chefetz has pulled off a major accomplishment in telling this story of grace under fire."
- Hannah Brown, The Jerusalem Post
-
"Regardless of the incredible true historical story on which it is based on, this is a well-made war film throughout. The values of the sanctity of life versus a mass suicide like in Masada, come to test in moments when the decision is black or white, life or death."
- Einat Olivier, Maariv
-
"An excellent human drama built around a conflict between opposing values - the sanctity of life versus the Masada ethos - represented symbolically (and historically) by a doctor and a commander."
- Yael Shuv, Timeout Magazine
-
"Accurate directing and cinematography choices transform "The Stronghold" into an isolated island, and we see through it the events taking place outside, on the entire front. The choice to rely on human material - the soldiers themselves - turns each one of them into a world unto themselves."
- Marilyn Venig, Portfolio Magazine
-
"The Stronghold kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, and it continued to hold me long after it ends, because nothing prepares you for the realization that you belong in the surrender camp. It made my stomach turn in the war scenes, and then my head spin after the movie ended."
- Timer Kemerling, Mako
-
"The best Israeli production in a long time, a chilling reminder of what could befall Israel in these days when the leadership is ignoring an impending disaster."
- Or Tilinger De Caraballo, Seret
