Roni was a soldier serving in the Israeli army when his unit was given an unusual assignment by his commanders -- eager to avenge the death of several Israeli G.I.'s, Roni and his comrades were ordered to find and murder a pair of Palestinian police officers. Several years later, Roni, now a civilian, is haunted by the memories of the killing, and understands what he did was both morally and legally inexcusable. However, while Roni wants some sort of absolution for his crimes, he doesn't want to go to jail, and discussing the killing with his girlfriend has done little to soothe his conscience. Filmmaker Avi Mograbi profiles Roni and examines his ethical dilemma in the documentary Z32; named for the code number assigned to Roni's testimony on an online database dedicated to documenting Israeli war crimes, the film features a digitally obscured Roni sharing his story for the camera, and interaction with his friends and loved ones as he struggles with the demons of his past. Z32 was an official selection at the 2008 Venice Film Festival.
by Mark Deming
synopsis
