Arrow Films, who brought NEKROMANTIK to the Cambridge Film Festival last year, aren’t just purveyors of cult cinema – they are also a multi-platform distributor of TV series from around the world, most recently the Israeli import Bnei Aruba (HOSTAGES), which was released on DVD and digital download this week.
The Israeli actor Ayelet Zurer stars in this ten-part series, which is currently ringing the changes on BBC4 after the slew of Scandi drama and Euro-crime serials. Zurer’s portfolio ranges from mainstream drama (ANGELS AND DEMONS) to comic book action (MAN OF STEEL) and even sketch comedy: she featured in Gomrot Holchot, the Israeli counterpart to France’s Vous les Femmes and the British Smack the Pony. It’s her credibility which drives the thrilling and apocryphal premise of HOSTAGES, which focuses on the kidnapping of a super surgeon, Dr Yael Danon (Zurer) and her family. Dr Danon is due to perform a routine op on the PM, and the kidnappers want her to make sure he dies in the process.
Directors Omri Givon and Rotem Shamir don’t rely on cabin fever or claustrophobia…
The operation is postponed and the family are held captive in their own home until the situation can be resolved. At one point, the chief kidnapper pops out to a party, offering Danon the chance to follow in the footsteps of a thousand Final Girls, and have a snoop through his things and learn more about him. There are many more thriller/horror tropes to be spotted – a series of innocent visitors to the house add to the suspense but come and go without incident; the Danon family have a Chekhov’s Mobile Phone; there are multiple opportunities to divide and conquer the bickering, fidgety kidnappers. But directors Omri Givon and Rotem Shamir don’t resort to cliché or rely on cabin fever or claustrophobia for the simmering of tension – it’s more often found in the moral dilemmas and home truths faced by Danon, and the shifting layers of betrayal and suspicion. Zurer’s performance is well supported by the younger cast members, and a bold twist in episode seven confronts us with a serious game changer. The inevitable American remake offered the excellent Toni Collette but it was short-lived; and there was never any need to stray beyond the original.
Click here for further information on the digital download of HOSTAGES.
httpvh://youtu.be/ZxYVVTSswi4