Documentary maker Danae Elon grew up in Jerusalem, the only child of an American Jewish literary agent, Beth Elon, and an Austrian Jewish refugee from the Nazis, Amon Elon, who became a prominent left-wing intellectual, writer and public figure in Israel. This biographical context is crucial to Danae’s latest film PS Jerusalem, just as it was to her previous, Another Road Home, in which she tracked down the Palestinian man who looked after her when she was a child. Here, the director’s personal history becomes a prism through which to explore Israeli-Palestinian relations and family dynamics.
Despite her father’s dying wish that she stay away from Israel, Elon moves back to Jerusalem with her French-Algerian Jewish husband, Philip, and their two young sons (a third is born in the city), for reasons even she can’t quite explain. It would seem she’s motivated partly by a primal need to reconnect with her childhood home, and partly by a desire to be a moderating voice in a country increasingly dominated by right-wing settlers and religious zealots. However, the transition challenges the whole family, especially long-suffering Philip, who starts out game for the change but eventually becomes deeply disillusioned and disgusted with Israeli racism and bigotry. Some might feel repelled by Elon’s self-absorption, while others might marvel at her honesty and willingness to edit in material that shows her in an unflattering light. Either way, this is a conversation starter, not especially distinguished as film-making but vital and deeply felt.
