01/03/2023 - BERLINALE 2023: Asaf Saban presents an energetic and slightly confusing coming-of-age drama about Israeli high-schoolers visiting former death camps

Leib Lev Levin, Neomi Harari and Yoav Bavly in Delegation

Asaf Saban’s Polish-Israeli-German co-production Delegation [+see also:
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film profile], presented in the Generation 14plus section of the Berlinale, intertwines the darkest chapter in the shared history of these three countries with a coming-of-age drama. Three friends – Frisch (Yoav Bavly), Nitzan (Neomi Harari) and Ido (Leib Lev Levin) – set out on a trip to Poland, along with their classmates, their teacher and Frisch’s grandfather Josef (Ezra Dagan), who is a survivor, to visit Shoah memorial sites. The trio have always stuck together, but now things are getting complicated, as Nitzan has a crush on Ido, who is dating someone else, and Frisch harbours feelings for Nitzan. On top of that, Frisch is a social outcast, which is always difficult – especially in secondary school.

As they visit the camps, follow the cattle tracks that led people to their deaths, listen to Josef’s stories, and watch Fiddler on the Roof or Escape from Sobibor on the bus, their lives are transformed. But it’s not the tragic past of their nation that brings about the change; it’s mainly the journey itself. The teenagers are out of school, out of the country and out of order. They get to see a bit more clearly who they are, what is important for them and how the world can really, really suck sometimes. The class focuses more on private lives, but the political isn’t ignored either. Every night, the trip participants get together and discuss the impact the tour is having on them. Some of them cry, others feel more convinced about their mandatory military service, while Nitzan doesn’t really know how to cope with what she is experiencing. She tries to translate the feelings of horror and pain into an art project, which is not necessarily helpful. Frisch, on the other hand, makes a crazy move – he sneaks out of the school bus, turns off his phone and hitch-hikes his way to Auschwitz. On the way, he meets Polish locals and sees another way of commemorating the Shoah. He also learns that he is strong and independent enough to deal with his social status, and that going astray may not be the worst thing in the world.

Delegation is energetic and dynamic, just like its protagonists, and the way debuting director Asaf Saban works with his actors is commendable. Yet his film has some flaws that are all too common in a first feature, as the script, also penned by Saban, tries to squeeze too much into one story. The coming-of-age drama would have been more than enough, and the same goes for the subject of Israeli high-school trips to Poland (which are now suspended because of diplomatic issues between the two countries), which expose young people to such horrors. Even the relationship between the grandchildren and the grandparents, the last Shoah survivors recounting their horrific stories in their own way (Josef talking about his first love is one of the most touching scenes in the film), would have sufficed. The myriad subjects and themes can get confusing at times. Luckily, every filmmaker only debuts once.

Delegation was produced by Poland’s Koi Studio, Israel’s Gum Films and Germany’s In Good Company. New Europe Film Sales holds the international rights.