Highway 65 (כביש הסרגל) directed by Maya Dreifuss,
is a captivating and forceful thriller. It is a story of how one police detective,
conscientious and persistent, can make a difference.
Dafna is a police detective working in Afula in the
Galilee. She’s a quirky and compelling character,
41 years old, single and, as is so typical in Israel, she is often asked why
she doesn’t have any children. She’s
quite assertive in her detecting manner, asking questions right to the point,
not beating around the bush. You might
say she has a big mouth and often puts her foot in it! This is what got her transferred from her
police detective position in Tel Aviv and sent to Afula (a real demotion) where
she is now working on petty crimes.
When an Arab teen is found with a cellphone that belongs to a local woman named Orly, Dafna is tasked with trying to locate her. Orly, however, cannot be found. She is a military widow and she has been living with her in-laws who are very important people in the local business scene. The question becomes why hasn’t anyone reported her missing? Dafna is bothered by the apparent indifference to Orly’s fate all around her. All of this comes together to make this a case which should perhaps be handled with kid gloves. But Dafna rushes ahead, haunted by how she identifies with the apparent victim, suspecting and butting heads with everyone.
At the Jerusalem Film Festival this week, Highway 65
won an Honorable Mention in the category of best Israeli feature film.
According to the judges: “We were
impressed by the courage it took, especially in this country, to turn a
bereaved mother into a murderer. Sometimes, the very, non-glamorous local
resonates and this film with its excellent cast, is both very local and
universal.”
Highway 65 is distributed by MK2.
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