Holding Liat is the story about the kidnapping of Liat Beinin Atzili by Hamas commandos. Beyond being a documentary covering the efforts to free an Israeli-American hostage, it is a window into various perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, via three generations of a family and bridging two countries.
The story opens with a phone call: a father learns from an Israeli army intelligence officer that his daughter Liat is being held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip and is apparently alive. There is no news available about his son-in-law.
Director Brandon Kramer and producer Lance Kramer, who are related to the family, begin chronicling their relative's experience two weeks after October 7, when Liat and Aviv Atzil were kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Southern Israel. They use cinma vrit to capture the narrative without being intrusive.
Liat's parents, Yehuda and Chaya, are introduced alongside images of the wreckage in Kibbutz Nir Oz. A bird perched tranquilly on barbed wire contrasts with the destruction. Observing the scene, Chaya remarks, They didn't protect her very well.
The couple's backstory is shared. Liat is a dual citizen and a history and civics teacher who specializes in Holocaust studies. Aviv, an artist, was born on Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he was the manager of the agricultural garage. They met at a young age, were married for thirty years, and had three children.
Yehuda Beinin, born in Philadelphia, emigrated to Israel along with Chaya in the early 1970s. They put down roots in Kibbutz Shomrat in northern Israel. Early in the film, we see a Bernie sticker on his car, a precursor to the political ideologies he will espouse. Understanding that Liat is in a situation beyond their control, Yehuda asserts with exasperation, We are being led by crazy people, whether it's on the Israeli side or the Palestinian side, and the result is all this death and destruction.
The depth of Yehuda's anger and resentment toward the Netanyahu government is evident as he watches clips of Bibi on the news, vocalizing about avenging the Hamas attack. Yehuda points out how the Prime Minister never wastes a crisis to advance his own agenda. The horrifying situation is a classic dream for Netanyahu, a way to save his government and his coalition (not to mention a deflection from his legal woes), and dazzle right-wing Israelis with his goal of annexing Gaza. The hostages become a sidebar to his interests.
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