Following up the riveting character study Synonyms, Israeli director Nadav Lapid quickly got his next project off the ground during the pandemic, Ahed’s Knee. Winner of the Cannes Jury Prize, the film follows a celebrated Israeli filmmaker named Y who arrives in a remote desert village to present one of his films at a local library and contends with a number of pressing issues. Picked up by Kino Lorber who have set it for a March 18 release in theaters, the new trailer has now arrived.
Rory O’Connor said in his review it’s “a blistering work of meta filmmaking Lapid shot during the pandemic and that addresses censorship concerns head-on. The film is based on an experience Lapid had in 2018 when he was invited to introduce The Policeman in Araba, a remote region in the north of the country. He spoke on the phone with a local woman who was then working for the ministry of culture. During their conversation she expressed misgivings about the state in surprisingly frank terms. A journalist friend suggested he record the woman in secret and give it to the press, but Lapid couldn’t bring himself to do it.”
See the trailer below and read our interview with Lapid here.
Ahed’s Knee opens on March 18 at Film at Lincoln Center and will expand.