Cactus

In the final moments before the city falls silent for Shabbat, Cactus wanders through the nearly empty streets of Be'er Sheva. Observing fragments of urban life—solitary passersby, textured facades, and quiet public spaces—the film unfolds as a quiet, contemplative work. Its abstract visual rhythm is meditative, letting the camera linger on the tactile surfaces of the urban landscape.

At the film’s center stands an enigmatic tree, cactus-like with dry, thorny branches crowned with delicate white flowers. This symbolic figure rises as a mute monument amid the stillness. Like an inscrutable monolith, it briefly interrupts the film’s gentle flow and invites deeper reflection.

Conceived as a study in urban silence and temporal rhythm, Cactus has acquired unforeseen poignancy in the wake of 2025’s events. With war, destruction, and displacement now marking those same streets, the film becomes an inadvertent archive of peace—a quiet visual record of what once was.