Never mind the politics: Israel rescue documentary is a thriller

Leave your politics at the door for The Road Between Us. Despite hand-wringing when the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) seemed first to invite then disinvite and finally re-invite this documentary to host its world première, there’s nothing in the telling that should have either pro- or anti-Israeli factions crying foul.

Barry Avrich, a Canadian workhorse filmmaker (he has almost 60 directing credits in a span of just 30 years, including a short film about the history of TIFF that played on the festival’s opening night), sticks to the facts.

They’re pretty simple. Also, horrific. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists launched a coordinated attack from Gaza on Israel. More than 1,000 people were killed — most of them civilians, more than a quarter female, the youngest just 10 months old, the eldest over 80. The Road Between Us mentions a senior who was killed sitting on his sofa reading a book. More than 240 were kidnapped — 48 remain in captivity in Gaza, though not all are believed to still be alive.

One of the families caught in the attack was that of Amir Tibon, a journalist living in the Nahal Oz kibbutz, less than a kilometre from the Gaza border. When terrorists overran the kibbutz, he and his wife and two daughters took shelter in their safe room, which was plunged into sweltering darkness when the power failed.

Amir texted his father, retired general Noam Tibon, to tell him what was happening. The elder Tibon and his wife were in Tel Aviv, 85 kilometres away. They got in their Jeep and, as any parent and no one else in their right mind would do, drove directly into danger.

Avrich recounts what happened that day with straightforward, chronological simplicity. He cuts between interviews with father and son (at least we know they both survived) and a walk-through by Noam, revisiting the locations he visited on that fateful day.

This is further bolstered by dashcam and army footage of the events, as well as bodycam video that was live-streamed by the terrorists. Though thankfully for this squeamish viewer, Avrich avoids some of the more horrendous and bloody moments. There’s enough horror here with the “sanitized” footage of dead bodies lying outside their cars, without also seeing death being dealt.

You could make an excellent dramatic thriller out of the bones of Noam’s story. Rushing to see to the safety of his son, he and his wife came upon two survivors from the attack on the Nova music festival, wandering on the road.

They picked them up and turned around to ferry them to safety, then headed back toward to the kibbutz — only to be again delayed by the necessity of taking wounded Israeli soldiers to hospital. All the while, intermittent texts from Amir painted a picture of encroaching peril.

The Road Between Us chooses neither to demonize nor sanctify any participants in the events of the day. You will hear no mention of “monsters” or “innocents.”

What happened is simple: people armed with guns and hatred rained an attack down on Noam’s family, and he set out with a car, a pistol and a familial bond to stop them. Even before Oct. 7, his family nicknamed him “911,” the guy you called whenever you needed assistance. He more than lived up to the moniker that day.

Some of the interview subjects do cast blame on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), though The Road Between Us is hardly the first to air such grievances. With Nahal Oz kibbutz surrounded by fences, gates and cameras, the IDF apparently decided that live patrols were less necessary, and they were cut back in the years preceding the attack.

On Oct. 7, hours passed without any sign of military intervention. To the people sheltering in place with little information from outside their homes, it must have seemed as though the terrorists had free rein of the area, and perhaps the entire country.

There can be no truly happy ending to this tale. No one in Nahal Oz kibbutz, Israel or indeed the world remains untouched by the events of Oct. 7. but The Road Between Us is not interested in digging deep into the geopolitical ramifications of the region. Avrich has a simple, singular story to tell here, and he does it well.

As a framing device, he opens with an old clip of famed journalist Edward R. Murrow, explaining the area to his TV viewers, decades ago. He returns at the end of the film with his signature sign-off, “good night, and good luck.” It’s a benediction we can all hope to share.

The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue had its world première at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10, and it will open in theatres across Canada in October.

4 stars out of 5

cknight@postmedia.com

• TIFF documentary about October 7 sells out amid calls for additional screenings
• Ian Cooper: I'm an entertainment lawyer. TIFF's defence of Hamas copyright is bunk