Review - Big Bad Wolves (2013 - Dir. Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado)

Following on from Der Fan, this is another film about a paedophile. Well, more a suspected paedophile. If Der Fan is relevant because of Operation Yewtree, then Big Bad Wolves is relevant due to the recent case of Bijan Ebrahimi. He had taken photos of some teenagers trashing his hanging baskets. The locals immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was a paedophile. They ending up beating and burning him to death. Ironically, the newspapers that have made stacks of cash creating a climate where this could happen, made stacks more cash by putting the story on the front pages. Big Bad Wolves hinges on whether one man is a paedophile or not.

Dror is an R.E. teacher. The police think he's a paedo, so they take him to a quiet and secluded space and give him a good hiding. They are trying the find the location of his dead victims' heads. Things go wrong for Miki, one of the police officers, he's put on traffic duty and Dror is released. There is one more player to enter this tale: the father of the latest victim, Eli.

Despite being a film about torturing suspected paedophiles, it is very funny; it's not torture porn. I like a bit of black comedy and this has got liberal doses of it throughout. In reality, even during periods of extreme unpleasantness and stress, there are times when humour is the only way to cope with a situation. This is similar in style to the under-rated The Horseman. That film had a strong central performance and this has three.

The only problem I had with the script was the baking of the cake. I can see why they needed to do it to further the story, but it didn't seem likely that Eli would make a cake at that point.

No evidence is ever given, one way or the other, to suggest whether Dror has committed the crimes. I was constantly torn between empathising with Eli, but then I thought that Dror might be innocent. So my empathy switched to him, but he could be guilty. My allegiances swapped again. The mystery is finally revealed with a satisfying ending. Again, it's another film that I enjoyed but I don't think I'll be buying it. Maybe a rental could be on the cards though.
7/10
evlkeith

If you like this you could also try:
The Horseman.