GOLDA (2023) - Movie Review

Director: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Helen Mirren, Zed Josef, Henry Goodman, Liev Schreiber, Camille Cottine, Ellie Piercy
Genre: Drama, Biography, History
Writer: Nicholas Martin
Runtime: 100 min
Rated: PG-13
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Academy Award® Nominee For Best Makeup & Hairstyling. Set during the Yom Kippur War, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Helen Mirren) must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber) with millions of lives in the balance. Her tough leadership and compassion ultimately decide the fate of her nation.

Review:

If you're looking for a biopic on Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, don't let the title fool you, this ain't it. Directed by Guy Nattiv ("Skin"), "Golda" is a docudrama that focuses entirely on Meir's handling of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The movie has a claustrophobic feel, taking place mostly indoors, while the progress of battles is relayed through maps, satellite imagery and radio communications. That has a certain atmospheric effect, leaving more to the imagination, and it contributes to a tangible sense of what it must have been like to be faced with an unthinkable situation. The movie is pretty intense in that regard.

History buffs, myself included, will relish the details, strategy and politics behind the historical event, and the movie easily navigates all the minutiae of war. It also offers insight into how Meir handled the high-stakes, high-pressure situation. They say "heavy is the head that wears the crown". Every life lost, every decision that leads to more lives lost, and the future of a fragile state weighs heavily on her. The burden of responsability must have been enormous. Meir at the time was also fighting malignant lymphoma, a cancer of the blood, and as seen in the movie, the illness was starting to take its toll. Helen Mirren delivers a wonderful performance, disappearing under the heavy Oscar-nominated makeup and fully embodying the chainsmoking leader who was often dubbed the "Iron grandmother of Israel".

The supporting cast are effective, but most don't have any memorable scenes, except for Liev Schreiber, who is great as US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a politcal figure stuck between wanting to help Israel, but fearing the repercusions for his own country and party, just as Nixon's Watergate scandal was about to blow up. Funny how history has a way of repeating itself. Schreiber's scenes with Mirren are a delight.

The movie is short, clocking in around 90 minutes, and it's pretty compact in its pacing. There's a nice balance between war room planning, political negotiations, intimate interactions between characters, and moments of reflection, never lingering for too long on any of them. I would have personally liked a longer movie with some more details, but as it is, it's an informative piece of history, if perhaps a little light on deeper insight into the central character.

SCORE: 8/10