Beyond the Walls

The story takes place in the high security block of an Israeli prison. The cells are divided between Jewish and Arab prisoners. The security officer uses that division for his own ends. He keeps the hostility between the two sides burning. Uri is the man the Jewish prisoners listen to. Issam leads the Palestinian prisoners. After a performance in the prison a fight breaks out and a prisoner is killed. The blame is put on Issam’s cell. A young inmate is asked to sign a false statement. He refuses and takes his own life. After that Uri and Issam form an unlikely partnership. The whole block goes on hunger strike. The administration works to break it. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for best foreign language film. It also took the critics’ prize at Venice. Arnon Zadok and Assi Dayan appear in the hundred and three minute film, an Israeli production Uri Barbash finished in 1984.