Kinneret Lives

In 2001, a café called My Coffee House was bombed in Tel Aviv. Thirty–two people were injured, one girl died. Kinneret, a thirty–two year–old singer and occasional waitress, was taken away from the scene with extensive burns, a damaged eye and a mutilated arm. The horrific attack transformed her life forever. Forced to abandon her old self, Kinneret had to begin a new life. Initially she was given lengthy treatment in Israel, later departing for New York, where she took part in public lectures about the victims of terrorism, was photographed for Time Magazine and underwent plastic surgery. Focused on Kinneret's own videodiaries, which capture her moods, states of mind and feelings, the film is an interesting mosaic that includes sequences documenting the turbulent situation in Tel Aviv, interviews with the girl's friends and relatives, and footage taken during her time in hospital. With an unusual intimacy, it not only provides an insight into the current situation in Israel and the danger terrorism poses to innocent people, but also into the inner workings of a young girl having to deal with a radical change in her life brought about by a tragic event. Although its central theme is pain, the film is about the inner strength that keeps a person going. Thus it is not about resignation, but rather about the will to survive. In bringing the audience closer to the elementary values of human life, such as friendship and love, its message is ultimately one of optimism. Revealing that the family can become a person's ultimate life support system, it shows the need for faith in a better future.