History in the Middle East is a complex mix of the present and the past. Then, there is, also, the personal, and, Israeli filmmaker, Amos Gitaï, is uniquely placed to reflect on his own past as a soldier and as the father of a young man caught up in the present conflicts that engulf the region.

A personal family story is intimately interwoven with the creation of Israel and its fractured history in this richly-collaged film poem from Amos Gitai. Bringing together reenactments with the traces of autobiography (like letters and personal anecdotes), Carmel features narration by Jeanne Moreau!