Review of Walk on Water (2004) by James H — 21 Jun 2005

[i]walk on water[/i] is the kind of film that I crave after watching countless cookie-cutter hollywood movies and it most certainly did not disappoint. I was searching the paper for a smaller, higher-quality film when I came across the write-up for [i]walk on water[/i] and became intrigued. it layers several elements into a single plot including israeli-palestinian tension, homophobia, german nazi history and present, modern german and isreali societies, family duty and friendship.

I believe this is the first israeli movie I have ever seen and I am very impressed with the quality of the production and story. the acting, cinematography, writing, music...everything fit. [i]walk on water[/i] is kind of a hard film to categorize which I feel is a good thing but means it's not easy to recommend. it has elements of a thriller in that there is violence and a few chase sequences. it's a mystery in that the plot unfolds slowly and isn't clearly spelled out as in most movies. there is also a lot of drama with the development of a relationship between eyal, an israeli hitman, and axel, the grandson of a nazi war criminal.

The film gives us tons of beautiful footage of israel and provides a glimpse at a society and culture that is unfortunately not very prevalent in north-american film. about three quarters of the way through [i]walk on water[/i], we travel to germany and also get a glimpse of the current culture in there. the generational distance of naziism and germany's role in the second world war is a key element and the impact of that time period in the development of israel relates directly.

I would encourage those who enjoy multi-faceted films and don't mind a little action with their drama (or vice-versa) to definitely seek out [i]walk on water.[/i].