Nur Fibak

An Israeli filmmaker throws himself in the midst of two battles doomed to fail: one against the death of freedom in his country, the other against the death of his mother.

In an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem, Bati has a seemingly perfect life. She is happily married to Lazer and the young couple have three children. But their world starts to crumble when Lazer is blackmailed and Bati discovers his secret affair with his male study partner. Desperate to protect her family and keep the man she loves, she supports Lazer as he attempts to “cure” his homosexuality, whilst uncovering her true desires.

With the aid of four actors in a rehearsal room, filmmaker Nur Fibak lays open the police investigation and court proceedings against the man who had molested her, revisiting the case as it unfolded from the moment she decided to seek justice. The film opens a unique window into the workings of the Israeli criminal justice system in sexual offense cases. Behind closed doors, during the cross-examination, everything is permitted, including asking invasive questions, doubting the woman on the witness stand, and forcing her—that same traumatized child, now grown up—to experience a second kind of abuse.