‘A Letter to David’ Review: An Israeli Filmmaker Considers the Fate of an Actor Turned Hostage in a Harrowing Film Essay

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In Tom Shoval’s deeply personal and harrowing documentary A Letter to David (Michtav Le’David), it appears that he attempts to portray the events on October 7th, 2023, in isolation from broader geopolitical context. However, this proves to be a challenging task as the film delves into the tragic massacre at Nir Oz kibbutz by focusing on the story of twin brothers who gained unexpected fame as movie stars a decade prior.

Individuals seeking a comprehensive political examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or a detailed portrayal of the devastating Gaza war and ongoing hostage situation, might find A Letter to David unsatisfactory due to its exclusive focus on one family’s heartrending struggle. However, this very concentration is what imbues the film with a raw emotional intensity: the recurring juxtaposition of past and present, fiction and reality, siblings, creates a haunting depiction of lives that have been both shattered and immortalized on celluloid.

During his casting process for his first film, “Youth”, Shoval met twins David and Eitan Cunio. This movie is a dramatic portrayal of two destitute brothers who resort to kidnapping their neighbor for ransom. Although the Cunios didn’t fit the typical mold of leading actors, they possessed an undeniable allure, as well as an almost intuitive bond that made them ideal candidates for the main roles. Remarkably, “Youth” – much like “David” – was first screened at the Berlinale and later garnered several accolades, including best actor awards for David and Eitan at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

Approximately a decade has passed, and the brothers, now married men with children of their own, were residing in Nir Oz when it was assaulted by Hamas on October 7th. A miracle spared Eitan and his family, yet David and his family were taken captive. His wife and daughters were freed after 53 days, but unfortunately, David, as well as his brother Ariel, are still being held captive. There’s optimism that they might be released under the present truce agreement, should it hold.

Overwhelmed by recent events, Shoval chose to write an open letter to David in the style of a film script. To illustrate the past, he utilizes raw footage from auditions, clips from the movie ‘Youth’, and additional behind-the-scenes material, along with a humorous documentary produced by the Cunio brothers about their life on Nir Oz in 2013. In the current situation, he revisits the kibbutz to display the damage caused by Hamas, engaging in conversation with Eitan in a house that attackers had attempted to set ablaze while the family was still residing there.

As a fervent admirer, I find the accounts of that fateful morning, whether from Eitan or Sharon, David’s resilient spouse, deeply heart-wrenching. It’s almost unimaginable to grasp the torment of a father powerlessly witnessing his daughters being gradually suffocated by toxic fumes, yet Eitan eloquently recounts their miraculous survival. In time, Sharon would share her story, detailing how David, our family’s former rock and source of joy, began to crumble under the unbearable weight of their harrowing hostage experience in Gaza.

Concerning the matter at hand, there’s no reference in “A Letter to David” about the extensive destruction of Gaza since October 7th. Shoval deliberately steers clear of any direct political dialogue. At a certain point, we hear explosions presumably caused by the IDF, while Eitan is in his demolished home, but the topic isn’t explicitly discussed. Although we witness numerous peaceful scenes of the Cunio family living on Nir Oz before the attacks, they don’t openly share their experiences of living so near Gaza – except for the necessity of each house on the kibbutz to have a protective shelter against incoming missiles from that region.

Instead of focusing on the longstanding crisis in the region, Shoval chooses to center his work around the twins – specifically, Eitan’s drastic change and David’s presence through his absence. This lack of David is both intriguing and unsettling, as Shoval draws eerie comparisons between events in “Youth” and October 7th, describing it as being kidnapped by reality. He also suggests a Cronenbergian concept where the captive brother might be mistaken for the free one.

In the film’s conclusion, Eitan states, “Every time I gaze into a mirror, it’s like I see him.” This sentiment is mirrored by the audience, as we too begin to perceive David even when he isn’t present. If Shoval deliberately avoids political discussions in “A Letter to David“, he undeniably plunges us into a chilling reality or, as he puts it, “a world without weight.” Early on, the eerie portrayal of the Cunio brothers in “Youth” prompts us to contemplate David’s destiny not just as a film character, but as a participant in the larger global catastrophe he is now involved in.

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2025-02-14 16:56