Zero Motivation (2014)

Directed by: Talya Lavie
Country: Israel

Movie Review: In “Zero Motivation”, the newcomer director, Talya Lavie, sneers at a female Israeli military unit stationed in a remote base where the boredom is high and the motivation is low. She wrote the story based on her own experiences serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. This resourceful comedy is divided into three distinct chapters, alternating the main protagonists among the small group of women. In the first one, Daffi (Nelly Tagar) can’t wait to be transferred to Tel Aviv, and for that to take effect, she brings in a new girl, Tehila (Yonit Tobi), who she believes to be her substitute. However, Tehila is nothing more than a civilian whose true motives for being there lead her to a tragic suicide. In the meantime, Zohar (Dana Ivgy), the laziest soldier ever, is obsessed with the computer game ‘Mine Sweeper’, which she’s a world record holder. This is not her single obsession since the idea of losing virginity doesn't get out of her head. After the unanticipated suicide, Rama (Shani Klein), the corpulent commander of the female unit sees her chances of being promoted reduced. The next chapter points the way to the weird Irena (Tamara Klingon), originally from Russia, who thinks she’s possessed by the ghost of Tehila and urges Zohar to find a man as soon as possible. The latter’s adventure with a recently arrived soldier didn’t go so well and Zohar returns obsessively to her PC games while tries to leave her mark in the army by shredding all the paper in the office. In the last chapter, the stern Rama is discharged to civilian life, while Daffi is promoted to commander. She gets into a fight with the disobedient Zohar, and both end up in prison. In the end, friendship triumphs after an agitated climax. A humorous atmosphere is permanently present in Ms. Lavie’s refreshing approach while a few moments of weirdness appear here and there. Even the toughest situations seem light, which in the case, is not necessarily unfavorably. “Zero Motivation”, a well-contextualized feel-good comedy with minor faults, actually offers lots of motivation to the viewers, and the perfect casting was the key factor for that achievement.