Director: Yoav Shamir, Producer: Michael Sharfstein
84 minutes, Hebrew, English, English subtitles
Military service is compulsory in Israel for all Jewish men and women. After three years of service they are granted a discharge bonus, which many of them choose to use to fly to India. Approximately 90 percent of these discharged soldiers will use drugs and each year some 2,000 of them will need professional help due to their drug use. This phenomenon is called "flipping-out."
Shot over a period of 2 years, this film follows the "flipping-out" route of Israeli travelers, most of them under the age of 25. The Habad houses, Jewish religious posts, a Warm House sponsored by the Israeli Anti-Drug Authority, a rescuer specializing in bringing these young people back home and thousands of young Israelis are all part of this strange world that has become a must stop in the Israeli coming of age process. Together they portray a comic-tragic story of an entire society that has perhaps flipped out.
Co Produced with NFB of Canada, ITVS International.
In Association with: Sundance Channel, BBC, ZDF/ARTE, SBS, VPRO, DR TV, Keshet Broadcasting, The New Israeli Foundation for Cinema and Television.
Haifa Film Festival 2007
Berlin International Film Festival - The Forum