A trio of documentaries to kick off our Santa Barbara coverage, two of them in competition…
“BLESSED IS THE MATCH: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF HANNAH SENESH” (**)
Roberta Grossman’s portrait of the Jewish Joan of Arc, Hannah Senesh, is somehow not the testament her actions deserve. Hindered by an overabundance of meaningless photographs and dubious reinactments, the film lacks scope and at times seems more interested in serving as a narrative biopic than a work of non-fiction.
Senesh was a poet and one of a troupe of Jews living in Palestine trained by British military to save the Hungarian Jews from eventual extermination at Auschwitz. Her team tragically parachuted into the region mere days before the country was invaded by Germany. She was eventually arrested and executed for her actions. Her writings and poetry were discovered by her comrades and published immediately.