JULY 28 • 2022 | 51

I

mage of Victory is a powerful 
and heart-wrenching war 
film from Israeli director Avi 
Nesher that grapples with the 
true cost of war — and what 
price people are willing to pay 
for freedom.
Released on Netflix July 15, 
Image of Victory tackles true 
events based on the Arab-Israeli 
War of 1948, which broke out 
following the announcement of 
the independence of the State 
of Israel on May 14, 1948. It 
follows the lives of those in the 
Nitzanim Kibbutz and how an 
impending air raid threatens to 
uproot their existence forever.
The 2021 Arabic, Hebrew 
and Spanish-language film 
runs just over two hours and 
is a triumph in the Israeli war 
film category. Full of stunning 

cinematography and a plot that 
steadily builds, keeping viewers 
on their toes, Image of Victory 
is a must-watch for anyone 
interested in the history — and 
human cost — of the creation of 
an Israeli state.
Image of Victory opens with 
one burning question that any 
viewer can identify with: What 
does it mean to truly live? 
When Mohamed Hassanin 
Heikal, a young Egyptian jour-
nalist and filmmaker, embarks 
on a mission to document a 
raid on the isolated Nitzanim 
Kibbutz, little does he know 
what he’s about to witness.
Directing an Egyptian pro-
paganda film, Hassanin sets out 
to capture an “image of victory” 
for the Egyptian army as they 
camp out at a village just on 

the outskirts of the kibbutz. He 
follows an Egyptian volunteer 
fighting force gearing up to help 
the Palestinian Arabs, docu-
menting their every move as 
they inch closer and closer to 
the kibbutz.
Meanwhile, members of the 
Nitzanim Kibbutz prepare for 
the upcoming raid. Mainly 
set in the days just before the 
attack, the members join forces 
with a platoon from the Givati 
Brigade and get ready to defend 
the kibbutz at any cost. Still, 
despite the threat that looms 
overhead, the kibbutz defenders 
laugh, cry and develop close-
knit friendships, showing that 
despite everything, war can’t 
take away life’s basic joys.
Traversing between the 
Egyptian and the Israeli story 

at a seamless pace, Image of 
Victory captures exactly what 
price is paid for, well, getting 
an image of victory as Hassanin 
planned to do.
When the Battle of Nitzanim 
finally unfolds on June 7, 1948, 
the Nitzanim kibbutz puts up 
a valiant yet, ultimately, unsuc-
cessful fight, being conquered 
by the Egyptians and leaving 
all surviving defenders to be 
taken as prisoners of war. It’s a 
powerful moment in time that 
Nesher recreated impeccably 
and with full force, pulling no 
stops in the battle scene and the 
message intended, which one 
could argue cries out in anti-
war protest.
Therefore, it’s no wonder that 
Image of Victory was nominated 
for 15 categories in the 2021 
Ophir Awards, winning three 
of its nominations for Best 
Cinematography, Best Makeup 
and Best Costume Design. With 
a spectacular performance by 
Israeli star Joy Reiger, who plays 
the unshakeable and unstoppa-
ble heroine Miri Ben-Ari, it’s a 
masterful creation that covers 
an important, but still less-
er-known, event that was piv-
otal to the world’s Jewish story 
and the price paid on all sides 
for a Jewish state. 

ARTS&LIFE
FILM REVIEW

This Netflix release captures 
the true price of war.
Image of Victory

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

NETFLIX

A still shot from 
Image of Victory
Israeli actress Joy Reiger

