To See If I'm Smiling
Wednesday, March 30th, 7:30pm
Myers Hall room 130, IU Bloomington Campus, discussion to follow
Please print, post, forward, and otherwise circulate to all who might find this of interest.
"To See If I’m Smiling," documentary, 2007, 59 minutes
Israel is the only country in the world where 18-year-old girls are drafted for compulsory military service. In this award-winning documentary, the frank testimonials of six female Israeli soldiers stationed in Gaza and the West Bank pack a powerful emotional punch. The young women revisit their tours of duty in the occupied territories with surprising honesty and strip bare stereotypes of gender differences in the military. The former soldiers share shocking moments of negligence, flippancy, immaturity and power-tripping as they describe atrocities they witnessed and participated in.
The psychological transformation that these young women underwent as a result of military service is both upsetting and riveting. The culture of war transforms people: personalities change, moral codes are subverted, values are supplanted and masks are constructed to dull the pain of what they did and didn't do in uniform. At a time when women in the military are increasingly on the frontlines, and the actions of soldiers all over the world are being questioned, this powerful film explores the ways that gender, ethics and moral responsibility intersect during war.
Hoosiers for Peace in the Middle East is a group devoted to promoting education, dialog, and action with the goal of achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. While a primary focus of this group is on the situation in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, we share an interest in promoting peace in the greater area, including Afghanistan and Iraq.
