''Flipping Out'' is a 2007 Israeli-Canadian documentary film directed by

Yoav Shamir Yoav Shamir ( he, יואב שמיר), is an Israeli documentary filmmaker most noted for the films ''Checkpoint (2003 film), Checkpoint'' and ''Defamation (film), Defamation''. Personal life Yoav Shamir was born in Tel Aviv in 1970. A ninth-gener ...

describing the drug use of

Israeli Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli ...

men and women in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It follows Israeli soldiers who take their discharge bonus and travel to India, where 90 percent will take drugs and around 2,000 will eventually need professional help after experiencing drug-induced mental breakdowns, or "flipping out".

Summary

The documentary shows the response of Israeli agencies to the growing problem of settlements in India with ex-soldiers involved in drug use. One encounter in ''Flipping Out'' is the meeting between the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister

Eli Yishai Eliyahu "Eli" Yishai ( he, אליהו "אלי" ישי, born 26 December 1962) is an Israeli politician. A former leader of Shas, he represented the party in the Knesset from 1996 until 2015, also holding several ministerial posts, including bein ...

and former soldiers. One female soldier tells him that she is on her second trip to India and that "...here one can feel normal again .no bombings, no corruption, none of that pressure acedback in Israel... one comes here and feels normal again".

Production

The film was produced by Israel's Topia Communications and Cinephil and the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

described it as a sequel to his 2003 documentary '' Checkpoint'', which follows Israeli soldiers in disputed Green Zone territories. His intention was to show what happens to the soldiers after they have gone through what he portrayed in the previous film.

Release

The film premiered on September 30, 2007 at the

Haifa International Film Festival The Haifa International Film Festival is an annual film festival that takes place every autumn (between late September and late October), during the week-long holiday of Sukkot, in Haifa, Israel. History The festival was inaugurated in 1983 and w ...

. It was screened in the Forum section of the

58th Berlin International Film Festival The 58th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 7 to February 17, 2008. The festival opened with Martin Scorsese's documentary film '' Shine a Light''. ''Be Kind Rewind'' by Michel Gondry served as the closing film. Gre ...

. It was also shown on the

Sundance Channel Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV, formerly known as Sundance Channel (United States). * Sundance Channel (Canada) * Sundance Channel (Netherlands) * Sundance Channel (Europe) * Sundance Channel (Iberia) * Sundance Channel (Asia) Sundanc ...

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that the film has a slower pace than Shamir's previous films, and that it unfortunately "doesn't compensate by offering richer dramatic meat or particularly useful psychological insight." The critic continued:

Too many storylines tend to dilute the strongest strands, while pic misses a trick by scrimping on viewpoints of local Indians. Lensing by Yoav Shamir himself is competent, but transfer to 35mm looks blurry and curiously drab given the story's colorful setting. Abundant use of onscreen textual information contributes to pic's general made-for-TV look.

References

External links

*
Publicity page
at the director's website {{DEFAULTSORT:Flipping Out (Film) 2007 documentary films 2007 films Canadian documentary films Documentary films about drugs Documentary films about post-traumatic stress disorder Documentary films about veterans English-language Canadian films Films about the Israel Defense Forces Films directed by Yoav Shamir Films shot in India Hebrew-language films Israeli documentary films National Film Board of Canada documentaries Documentary films about India India–Israel relations 2000s Canadian films