Golda

A dark retelling of the 19-day Yom Kippur War in 1973.

To be quite frank, few people other than students of history will like this film. However, I fall into that category.

With a coalition of Arab States led by Egypt and Syria launching an attack on Israel, the movie largely focuses on Prime Minister Golda Meir’s response. Played with energetic style by Helen Mirren, she smoked cigarettes constantly, which included during her cancer treatments.

The first and only female Israeli Prime Minister, she faced constant criticism for her Country’s lack of preparation concerning this war. In her seventies nearly 2,700 soldiers were killed which led to her resignation in 1974.

Except for a short moment, Golda didn’t visit the front and neither does director Guy Nattiv’s camera. Instead, you watch her interaction with a staff that included defense Minister Moshe Dayan as they countered a response to the Arab invasion. As a history fan, I found these moments made Golda an interesting movie.

Without saying more, the film had some dramatic moments. It was tragic to watch a secretary in Meir’s office collapse when she received word that her son had died in combat. In addition, there are some very fine scenes as you watch her interact with Henry Kissinger, played with style by Liev Shreiber, as the U.S. helps negotiate an end to the conflict.

Just be prepared to tolerate Golda’s chain smoking!