New Adaptation of an Amos Oz Novel

Judas(הבשורה של יהודה) , directed by Dan Wolman, screenplay by Shosh Wolman, is based on the literary masterpiece by Amos Oz. This is an art film, literary in its style, and quite sensitive, lyrical and even romantic. Take a look at the trailer.

It is the winter of 1959 in Jerusalem, rainy and cold, and Shmuel has dropped out of the university. He takes a job as a live-in companion to Gershom, an elderly and infirm man. 

They have long conversations together, in particular about Shmuel’s thesis, which he has put aside, which deals with Jewish views of Jesus, specifically about Judas Iscariot, and his betrayal or lack of betrayal of Jesus.  Also living with them is the mysterious Atalia, the widowed daughter-in-law of Gershom. The story is about the conversations between Shmuel and Gershom and it is also about the relationship that slowly develops between Shmuel, the 20+ naïve and eager and bushy-tailed university student and Atalia, the 40+ bitter widow.  

In his development of Shmuel, Amos Oz has created a university student, who is obsessed with the subject of Judas and his motivations.  History called Judas a traitor, a betrayer of Jesus, but Shmuel’s interpretation is that Judas was misunderstood and was actually a true disciple and believer in the teachings of Jesus.  

There is a parallel story of betrayal, or perhaps misunderstood betrayal. Atalia’s father, Shealtiel Abravanel, was called a traitor due to his political beliefs.  He was against the founding of the State and partition, and supported an alternative that would bring about more cooperation with the local Arab population.  (Probably, he is meant to be a figure from the Martin Buber - Judah Magnes Brit Shalom group.)  The fictional character, Abravanel, believed that Arabs and Jews should and could live side by side. But this was not the path generally accepted within the leadership during the period of the founding of the State.  Atalia’s father was an ideologue, ahead of his time.  This is a reflection of the politics of Amos Oz himself, who was a radical, believing in the possibility of Jews and Arabs living side by side.

Atalia seems to be traumatized from her own experience as a war widow.  She mourns her dead husband Micha, who died in the War of Independence at Sha’ar Hagai, in the battle for Jerusalem. She says that “he ran with the herd to slaughter” – and the battles fought at Sha’ar Hagai and nearby Latrun truly were slaughters.  Atalia’s father called the War of Independence, “a madness of Ben Gurion.”  The film creates a parallel between Atalia’s father and Judas – both were not understood in the period in which they lived; they were men of firm beliefs, notwithstanding the fact that others did not understand them and labeled them as traitors.  

The not-so-subtle reference to today becomes clear – if you are critical of the societal consensus and government policies, does that make you a traitor to the cause?

Dan Wolman is one of my favorite Israeli filmmakers.  His films successfully mix the private with the national. His filmography includes a great many award-winning feature films, including An Israeli Love Story, Hide and Seek, The Distance, and Foreign Sister.  His films My Michael and Gei Oni – Valley of Fortitude are both literary adaptations, as is his recent film, Judas.  My Michael and Judas are both adapted from novels by Amoz Oz.  Gei Oni is based on the novel by Shulamit Lapid.  All of Wolman’s films are characterized by his humanity and sensitivity.

At a screening of the film today, at the Jerusalem Theater, Wolman talked about how the film is “all” Amos Oz.  He requested permission from Amos Oz before he died.  In fact, Oz saw the first versions of the film, but he didn’t live to see it completed.   Wolman even used a recording of Oz's voice as part of the sound-over, near the end of the film.  When asked about the challenges a filmmaker faces when adapting a literary masterpiece, Wolman talked about how he looks at a literary piece and thinks about how he can adapt it through his own filters.  He specifically chose less-known actors so that the viewing audience wouldn’t be confused by previous roles for which the actor might have been known.

The film is also an ode to the city of Jerusalem, its meaning, its landscape, and its history. 

Judas (feature film, 84 minutes) is distributed internationally by Go2Films.