SODA is a short film playing at the Spokane Jewish Film Festival.ย
The feature narrative film SODA is a Hebrew word meaning “my secret,” and the intriguing title also prominently features the SODA factory as a key location. The movie wrestles with the heavy topic of how to react when meeting a suspected Capo (A Jew who worked with the Nazis in concentration camps). What should be their punishment? Is it possible to forgive their actions, given that survival was of the essence during horrific, unimaginable times? SODA did not hold back.
SODA was an extremely dark movie to watch. I mean this literally; it was spoken entirely in Hebrew, with subtitles. The acting was believable and gave viewers chills as this story unfolded. Was Eva a Capo? Was her past identity truly uncovered? Were the actions of this small Israeli community justified in the end? I found the final frames confusing. It detracted from the film’s straightforwardness and focus. The entire experience was harsh and sad, even though finding love was also another component of the plot.
SODA was not a feel-good movie.ย It sparked a discussion among a group of people who are hard to locate and confront. War and all of its many victims leave our society with more questions than answers.
Following SODA was a short pre-recorded lecture from a local university professor. It added historical elements to this confusing moral conflict.ย
