Based on a true story, The Loners is set in a military prison in northern Israel in 1997. Two Russian speaking immigrant soldiers have been accused of treason and supplying military weapons to Hamas. The pair are "loners", living in Israel without family. They are sent to jail and are set to be tried as civilians. Their requests for an appeal hearing and to be tried by a military court are denied, and the pair are constantly persecuted and beaten. Glory (Sasha Avshalom Agrounov) aggressively pursues his demands, and in frustration eventually organizes a mutiny within the prison. Along with the more nervous Sasha (Anton Ostrovski), who is the son of a Russian general, they take a couple of hostages. What follows is a tense stand off. However, as the siege wears on we begin to learn the truth about what happened, and how Sasha lost his rifle under embarrassing circumstances.
The Loners is the second feature from writer/director Renen Schorr (Late Summer Blues), and is proficiently directed. Schorr deliberately opens the action out so that the film doesn't become too claustrophobic, as is often the case with prison movies. The film explores themes of isolation, honour, injustice, and Schorr emphasizes the different personalities of the two central characters. The film is also critical of Israel's policy of compulsory military service, and addresses the angst and conflicted multi-culturalism of a country that sometimes seems at war with itself.
The Loners is the second feature from writer/director Renen Schorr (Late Summer Blues), and is proficiently directed. Schorr deliberately opens the action out so that the film doesn't become too claustrophobic, as is often the case with prison movies. The film explores themes of isolation, honour, injustice, and Schorr emphasizes the different personalities of the two central characters. The film is also critical of Israel's policy of compulsory military service, and addresses the angst and conflicted multi-culturalism of a country that sometimes seems at war with itself.
