Objector (Molly Stuart) Israel |

Objector
Molly Stuart
Israel. 2019. 75 min

Like most young adults in Israel, Atalya is required to join the army. She strongly objects to the army’s role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and doesn’t want to be part of it. But she’s also scared that if she refuses to do military service, people will view her as a traitor. She talks at length about her intentions with family members, who have differing opinions on the matter. It’s striking how much real listening is done, and how much space there is for dissenting views. The way her grandfather lovingly clasps her hand in his as he says it’s “so stupid” to be an objector, is telling.

While preparing herself for a possible jail sentence of indefinite length, Atalya makes increasingly frequent visits to the occupied territories. There, she sees Palestinians being chased from their homes, which are subsequently destroyed. She also gets into contact with other objectors.

Slowly but surely, she transforms from a 19-year-old with a strong sense of justice into a leader of a group of young people who are saying “no” to the occupation, and who don’t see military service the way the older generations do: as a necessary step on the road to adulthood.

MOLLY STUART

Molly Stuart is an up-and-coming filmmaker with a message to send. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Molly was a 2018 Women Peace and Security Fellow. She did all this while earning an MFA in cinema at San Francisco State University. That’s not all. Molly has won the Bill Nichols Excellence in Cinema Award, the Canon Best in Show Award, the Spotlight on Women in Film Award, and the Barbara Hammer Award.

Molly has also won several film festival awards, including Best Documentary Short, Best Short, and Best Young Storyteller Award. Previously, Molly has worked on other projects including Guy Hircefield, a Guy with a Camera and A Wake.

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