Golda (film)

Golda is a 2023 biographical drama film directed by Guy Nattiv and written by Nicholas Martin. The film depicts actions of Golda Meir, the 4th Prime Minister of Israel, during the Yom Kippur War. It stars Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin and Liev Schreiber.

It received its world premiere at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival on February 20, 2023. It was released in the United States by Bleecker Street and Shivhans Pictures on August 25, 2023 and was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Vertical Entertainment and MetFilm Distribution on October 6, 2023. The film received a Best Makeup and Hairstyling nomination at the 96th Academy Awards.

Plot
In October 1973, the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad receives intelligence implying that Egypt and Syria are preparing to commence a military campaign against Israel, which it promptly relays to the Israeli prime minister, Golda Meir. Meir is dismissive of the intelligence, noting her inability to initiate a counter-plan without the support of her defense minister, Moshe Dayan, who is equally skeptical.

On 6 October, on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Meir's inner circle informs her that Egypt has amassed a large force opposite the Suez Canal, concluding that hostilities would begin by sundown. Although realizing her tardiness in preparing adequately, Meir refuses to make a pre-emptive move, instead ordering a partial mobilization to face the threat. Nevertheless, she is surprised when the attack begins early. Dayan, who is sent to inspect the Golan Heights on the Syrian border, is horrified to discover that Syria has launched a thorough attack against the ill-prepared Israeli troops. Dazed, he attempts to resign; Meir talks him out of it but loses confidence in him.

Between 7-8 October, with Egypt and Syria making gains into Israel, Israeli Defence Force chief of staff Lieutenant General David Elazar proposes to relieve Israeli fortifications in the Sinai Peninsula using the 162nd Division led by Major General Avraham Adan. Despite opposition from Mossad chief Zvi Zamir, the plan proceeds, but the Egyptians defeat the Israeli force. The next day, with the Syrian offensive having slowed, Dayan proposes an air strike on Syrian capital Damascus to put pressure on Egypt. However, with a shortage of planes, the Israeli Air Force is unable to proceed. In response, Meir asks United States Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to provide surplus jets, to which he reluctantly agrees, though he expresses that it is problematic for the United States to increase its support for Israel in light of the 1973 oil crisis. On the fifth day, amidst increasing tensions, Major General Ariel Sharon proposes an operation to cross the Suez Canal using the 143rd Division to challenge the Egyptian Second and Third Armies. Zvi informs Meir that the Egyptian 4th and 21st Divisions would cross the canal in two days, leaving Egyptian capital Cairo undefended in the event of an attack. According to the intelligence, the Egyptians cross the canal, are met with resistance from Israeli tank forces led by Lieutenant General Haim Bar-Lev, and are defeated.

On 15 October, Sharon's forces cross the canal at an undefended point called the "Chinese Farm". They are ambushed by Egyptian units but maintain their positions. Meanwhile, Elazar prepares to barricade the Third Army by cutting off Suez from Cairo, which would accordingly force Egypt into negotiations. Concurrently, Kissinger pays a private visit to Meir and urges her to accept a ceasefire. Meir proceeds with her plan anyway, which finally forces Egypt into talks.

By the twentieth day, both sides agree to the further diplomatic talks and to exchange prisoners of war, effectively concluding the conflict. However, Zvi privately informs Meir that military intelligence chief Major General Eli Zeira had neglected to properly monitor signals intelligence from the Egyptian side, which allowed Israel to be attacked unawares. Although appalled, she chooses to bear the blame, rather than reveal the existence of the listening system. Despite the victory, the conflict's intensity inflicts an emotional toll on the aged Meir, who is stricken with cancer.

One year later, in 1974, Meir testifies before the Agranat Commission about her conduct in the war. She states off-the-record that despite her initial uncertainty, she genuinely felt war was certain. Four years later, on 8 October 1978, a bedridden Meir dies watching footage of her meeting with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat a year earlier.

The film's epilogue reveals that the commission cleared Meir of any wrongdoing and that she lived to see the signing of the Camp David Accords, the first formal measures of peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Development
In April 2021, it was announced Helen Mirren was set to star, with Guy Nattiv to direct, a screenplay by Nicholas Martin. In November 2021, Camille Cottin, Rami Heuberger, Lior Ashkenazi, Ellie Piercy, Ed Stoppard, Rotem Keinan, Dvir Benedek, Dominic Mafham, Ben Caplan, Kit Rakusen and Emma Davies joined the cast. In January 2022, Liev Schreiber announced his involvement.

Filming
Principal photography began on November 8, 2021, in London, United Kingdom.

Casting controversy
Helen Mirren was cast as Golda Meir at the behest of Meir's grandson Gideon. In January 2022, British actress Maureen Lipman and others criticized the casting choice on account of Mirren not being Jewish, stating: "I'm sure she will be marvellous, but it would never be allowed for Ben Kingsley to play Nelson Mandela. You just couldn't even go there." The following month, Mirren responded by saying Lipman was "utterly legitimate" to criticize her casting, and she had discussed the decision to cast her in the film with director Nattiv.

Release
In July 2021, Bleecker Street and ShivHans Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film. In August 2023, Vertical Entertainment acquired U.K. and Irish distribution rights in partnership with MetFilm Distribution. It had its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 20, 2023. It also screened at the Jerusalem Film Festival on July 13, 2023. It was released in Israel on August 24, 2023, by United King Films, and in the United States the next day, on August 25, 2023. The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 6, 2023.

Golda was released for digital platforms on September 19, 2023, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on October 17, 2023.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, Golda was released alongside Gran Turismo, The Hill, and Retribution, and was projected to gross around $1 million from 883 theaters in its opening weekend. It finished its run with $4.8 million in the United States and $6 million worldwide.

Critical response
The film was described as "typical Israeli propaganda" in one review, by Ramzy Baroud, published in Arab News and Middle East Monitor.

A New York Times review by Amy Nicholson concluded that against the backdrop of a surprise attack on Israel, the script, by Nicholas Martin, focuses on the haunting body count rather than the righteousness of the conflict, where one is “left with a sense that the stress of those thousands of lives cut short may have killed her (Golda) too.”