Set in Jerusalem in 1947 (at the tail end of the British Mandate), The Little Traitor stars Ido Port (from Dear Mr. Waldman) as 12 year old “Proffy.” One night, failing to make it home before curfew, Proffy is stopped and questioned by a soldier named “Sergeant Dunlop” (Alfred Molina).
Proffy has lived his entire life surrounded by refugees and Holocaust survivors (including his emotionally damaged father), and he has absorbed their bone-deep fear of imminent annihilation, but he develops feelings for this gentle giant anyway. Secret meetings with Dunlop are soon discovered by Proffy’s school buddies, and their suspicions ultimately impact the entire neighborhood. Although historical circumstances drive Proffy and Dunlop apart, the film ends with a touching epilogue—a tiny, humanistic statement of hope for a beleaguered world.
The Little Traitor is based on Amos Oz’ 1995 novel Panther in the Basement, but readers of his award-winning memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness (2004) will also recognize many of his idiosyncratic characters and evocative locations. Note: Even though the film was made in Israel, the primary language is English (with some subtitled Hebrew).
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