A director so blocked he wrote himself into madness — literally.
A semi-autobiographical portrait of an Israeli director grappling with creative block as he tries to bring his second feature to fruition. What was supposed to be a personal and heart-warming script about his journey from an ultra-orthodox upbringing in Jerusalem to a secular life in Tel Aviv turns into an obsessive manifesto containing thousands of pages and hundreds of hours of voice recordings dealing with Jewish identity, its problems, and possible solutions.
Acting
Volach's self-portrait blurs reality until you can't tell.
Direction
The film IS the breakdown — form mirrors content perfectly.
Writing
Thousands of pages distilled into 105 minutes of pure compulsion.
Director
David Volach
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Volach's actual ultra-Orthodox background and departure mirrors Daniel's, but the film deliberately obscures where autobiography ends and fiction begins.
The film sparked debate in Israeli cinema circles about the ethics of turning mental health crises into art — Volach's response was simply to release more footage.
IL
