’Household’ begins with another situation that could be regarded as a practical joke, but immediately transforms into a personal tragedy. While Amir, his baby boy, sleeps peacefully, the artist crawls under his bed as if to check or fix something. At that moment Amir starts crying, and Nava, his mother, comes to pick him up. In order to do this, she lowers the crib’s adjustable bars, creating a cage in which the puzzled Ben-Ner is imprisoned. A mere noise, or a call, would have resolved the situation and have Nava raise the bars and let him out, but Ben-Ner, accustomed to being enclosed against his will, immediately accepts the situation. Moreover, unlike his family, he is acting in a silent movie, and therefore cannot call for help, so he goes on to concoct his own personal escape operation. As he stays helpless in his cell, life at home goes on as usual. No one seems to notice that the father is gone, even when they are in the same room. The ’pater familias’ has turned into an absent presence.
Soon, the little cell transforms into an active studio, as Ben-Ner puts all his creative powers into the escape. His first step is the most radical. In an act that resembles the video in which he kneads his penis, he cuts off a finger, a sacrificial act necessary in order to set him on the path of survival and freedom. This sacrifice will enable him to survive, for thanks to this “extra” finger, he can now reach water, plan his escape – as he will be able to draw designs of the plan, and prepare tools to materialize the scheme. Another “sacrifice” is tearing his hair out to make a string with which to reach food and tools for escape. In fact, ’Household’ is a film about the making of tools; from his initial sacrifice, he makes a screwdriver, chalk, a knife, and later a hammer. (Sergio Edelsztein)
With: Elia, Guy, Nava and Amir Ben-Ner
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