It
is fitting that we finally officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
After all, it is a city that captures the imagination and it endures all
attempts at destruction. In the far future, it will be about all that is left
of the fabled planet Earth in Yoni Salmon’s animated short film, Niggun (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Philip K. Dick Film Festival.
The
Rabbi and the Archaeologist believe they deduced the location of the mythical
Earth from a series of esoteric clues, but they are alarmed when the smallish
blue planet does not appear where it should. As they get closer, they find
clusters of fragments held together by gravity. The largest asteroid holds the well-preserved
remains of what resembles the capital city of Jerusalem. At first, they are
disappointed, but there is still much to see. However, it is not quite as
lifeless as it initially looks.
Niggun is a strangely
rewarding film, because it gives off a whimsical vibe, but evokes a deeper,
sadder sense of wisdom and enlightenment. Frankly, it is hard not to be moved
by the site of Israel in ruins—still standing as all that really remains intact
of Earth.
