FOXTROT World Cinema

Samuel Maoz set his brilliantly claustrophobic debut LEBANON solely inside a war tank. His latest tale operates on a larger canvas, but still bears Maoz’s trademark intimacy and detail of storytelling. FOXTROT follows Michael, a grieving Israeli father who must grapple with the unimaginable and surreal circumstances surrounding the death of his son. Mourning relatives and a maddening bureaucratic culture only make matters worse for Michael and his wife — until the film pivots from their home to the remote military post where their son was stationed. Incredibly staged and conceived, FOXTROT is an audacious depiction of war and loss, and a savage satire that nails the absurdity of the modern military complex. – Lane Kneedler