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Israeli comedy Zero Motivation has been breathlessly hailed in reviews and promotional materials as everything from M*A*S*H* meets Orange Is the New Black to an episode of Broad City
as directed by the Coen brothers. But Talya Lavie's debut feature earns
these comparisons only by virtue of portraying young women who
fabricate entertainment and drama in a restrictive institutional
setting. (New York City not excepted.) Lavie's story, inspired by
personal experience and presented in three separate "episodes,"
chronicles the adventures and misadventures of female soldiers—in
particular, best friends Zohar (Dana Igvy) and Daffi (Nelly
Tagar)—working the administrative department on a remote military base.
They play Minesweeper on a bulky desktop PC. They lobby for
transfers. They try to get laid. There's a subplot about a ghost, and
some genuine drama involving both a paper shredder and a staple gun, but
for the most part we care no more about the women after 97 minutes than
we did when they first stepped onto the base with their pink backpacks
and shared earbuds. Still, it's worth watching if only for a glimpse at
life in a country where compulsory military service plays as much a role
in coming of age as pop songs and dorm posters.
Critic's Grade: C
SEE IT: Zero Motivation opens Friday at Living Room Theaters.
WWeek 2015