To See If I’m Smiling

Name: To See If I’m Smiling
Director: Tamar Yarom
Released: 2007

Tamar Yarom 2007

Israel has the only army in the world to draw women for mandatory military service. Here, female soldiers share their perspective on a seemingly endless war and the moral challenges inherent in their relationship to the Palestinian population. The women look back critically at the way they handled the power that was placed in their young hands at the young age of eighteen and courageously answer the painful questions that were never asked during their time in the army. Did they really smile in these pictures?

Add to Playlist

Add Bookmark

Bookmark List

Play Trailer

Running Time:

59 min.

Spoken Languages:

Hebrew

Subtitles:

English

Directors:

Tamar Yarom

Producers:

Tamar Yarom

Production Companies:

Tamar Yarom

Conflicts

Family

Gender

Israeli-Palestinian Co..

Press

Video Librarian

A frank and haunting look at the dark side of the lives of female soldiers in the Israel Defense Force, this is recommended.
“The Special Jury Prize is given to a film that makes all of us face the question: could this be me? Would I behave this way? The director and protagonists share memories of a different and painful existence in a way that touches and challenges us and is relevant everywhere in the world.”

Jury Statement, Hot Docs - Toronto, Canada 2008
“….An unusual cinematic experience, courageous, piercing and sharp, the film raises complicated ethical questions…”

Jury Statement, Haifa International Film Festival, Israel 2007

Festival Participation

Haifa
Best Documentary Award
IDFA
Silver Wolf Award, Audience Award
Zagrebdox
Mexico City
Human Rights Watch Warsaw
Best Documentary
Edinburgh
HotDocs
Special Jury Award
San Francisco
Vancouver
Sydney
Melbourne
Seoul
Helsinki
Vienna
Full Frame

Additional Materials

Film Poster

Distribution Company

Back to Film Summary

This Week’s Featured Films

The fate of the planet’s last untouched wilderness, the deep ocean, is at stake as a secretive international organization moves to allow corporations to strip mine the seabed for metals crucial to powering a carbon-free future.
BUTTERFLY IN THE SKY tells the story of the beloved PBS children’s series “Reading Rainbow,” its iconic host LeVar Burton, and the challenges its creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television.
A provocative, visually stunning testament to a land and a people who have survived removal, exploitation and genocide – and whose best days are yet to come.
How did we come to this moment, where free speech issues have never felt more complicated and urgent, and where the nation is wondering a new: what price are we willing to pay for free speech?
Discover the immersive power of sound with 32 Sounds, a captivating documentary exploring how it bends time, crosses borders, and shapes our perception
Oliver Stone's documentary explores the potential of nuclear energy as a solution to climate change and energy poverty.
Yaara Bou Melhem’s documentary "Unseen Skies" explores state and corporate surveillance evolution through Trevor Paglen's audacious launch of artwork in space.
Consider the official definition of play: engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose. And yet hard science and deep wisdom tell us that play is neither silly nor impractical. Playing for Keeps examines the value of play through a health lens.
How did the willful daughter of a Himalayan forest conservator become Monsanto’s worst nightmare? The Seeds of Vandana Shiva tells the remarkable life story of Gandhian eco-activist Dr. Vandana Shiva, how she stood up to the corporate Goliaths of industrial agriculture
A one-hour documentary that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the birth of a new movement to treat and prevent toxic stress