Golda (Sagi Bornstein, 2020): Canada

Reviewed by Abby Farer-Haydon. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020.

As a Jew growing up in California, I have found over the years that I have a deep love of Isreal. I sense it is something that most Jews in the United States feel. I was living in Mexico, cut off from world events, and never got the full story of what happened in Isreal during that time. I found it profoundly enriching to learn, from a valid source, what Golda Meir did and the challenges she faced.  As  said in the movie, she  has been nicknamed “The Queen of Isreal”. She headed the government after the elected Prime Minister died of a heart attack. Golda was picked over generals because her reputation as a politition was felt to be more valuable than anyone else interested in the job. Shortly after she took office the 6 Day War broke out. She helped the country get through this challenge to its sovereignty. This movie fully documents the totality of her career.

This film is compiled from many different sources. including  never- seen- before footage of an off camera interview. The movie provides a bit of her personal history and the work that she did. It discusses the critisms that she received as well. It seems that she spent a good deal of time growing up in the United States. I feel this gave her a broader perspective that assisted her as a politition.

I found it very interesting that she was experiencing many of the same challenges that the young women were confronted with in the movie The Marajuana Conspiracy. She too had to deal with judgements about feminism that faced many women in the 1970’s, including myself. Golda was always surrounded by men. I feel  it may have been dufficult  for them to take orders from a woman. In the movie it showed that sometimes she gave in to the ideas of the men around her, but for the most part she held firm in her position and led Isreal in a time when no man could and to the best of her ability and perspective.

Golda was human and had her share of addiction and health crises. When the head of the section on Israeli films started his introduction of Golda, he said that what bothered him most in the movie was her chain smoking. I grew up with a mother who had a cigarette  dangling from her mouth when she did dishes. It is hard for us to see a woman chain smoking today, but then it was accepted. It is surprising that she lived as long as she did with such a habit.  She also did the dance with cancer and walked away from it.

. In the never- seen- before video she said what she missed the most, while being Prime Minister was dreaming. She had a phone in her bedroom and insisted on being called and  told about what was happening at night. This is a touching portrait of the woman and the leader.