Lone Soldiers

A feature-length documentary about non-native Israelis who voluntarily enlist in combat units in the Israeli army.

Lone Soldiers is a feature documentary that tells the story of a young Brazilian father, South African surfer, and an American college graduate who independently choose to uproot their lives in their respective countries to move to Israel to join combat units in the Israeli Army (IDF). Filmed in four continents, this film tells the colorful stories of young people finding their place in the world, as they face increasingly dangerous and potentially lethal situations.

As more and more Israelis refuse their mandatory army service, and surrounding attitudes shift, lone soldiers are becoming more significant for the IDF not only for the numbers they bring in but also for the morale and ideologies that they import from the Jewish Diaspora.

The film’s three stories develop through highs and lows, weddings and deaths, surprises and disappointments. Disillusioned, all three start to confront the effects of being trapped in a reality which they have no opportunity to escape, the tension between their desire to contribute to the defense of Israel and the horrible price the task entails.

Lone Soldiers is a sincere and candid film about young men struggling to find themselves under extraordinary circumstances.