• Even if it’s not a glowing success (not in my top 10 of 2017 after one watch) I appreciation Maoz’s formal approach—everything is very carefully set up- every sight gag and joke is told with a greater whole in mind and a thought out aesthetic approach to back it up
  • There’s absurdism in every joke—the girl on the truck with the ice cream in this awful war zone area, the camel passing by on the road, the fox trot dance (I thought the second fox trot dance at the end of the film was way too on the nose) by a soldier with a gun, the out of date equipment, the painting of the tropical landscape, the potted meat, the playing war in the video game while at war, raining on your day dressed up… even when it goes dark with some of the more tragic moments there is an absurd fate to it that, if you’re being dark and recognizing it’s fiction, can be cause for comedy (at least akin to like the fate in A Serious Man or something)
  • Long overhead slow tracking shots- reoccurring and I appreciate the aesthetic
  • The porno book/Bible study story monologue is brilliant—love the Roger Rabbit/Jessica Rabbit joke as well
  • Paced and stylistically driven
  • Foxtrot is a metaphor for standing in place—there’s a philosophy
  • Matching scars on the two grieving parents
  • The graphic art sequence didn’t hit me right- felt out of balance with the rest of Maoz’s approach
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 2017