Big Bad Wolves 2014

In an isolated forest in Israel, three playful children engage in a joyful game of hide-and-seek, their giggles and ensuing shouts muffled by the dense foliage surrounding them. One little girl, blissfully unaware of the threat lurking nearby, seeks refuge in an abandoned house. Tragically, her moment of safety turns into a nightmare as she is suddenly captured by a shadowy figure. The relentless Detective Micki quickly directs suspicion towards Dror, a well-regarded schoolteacher, and arrests him despite the lack of any solid evidence. During this ordeal, Dror finds himself subjected to intense psychological pressure from Detective Micki’s team, while a bystander records the harrowing events on their smartphone, unwittingly uploading them to YouTube for all to witness.

A mysterious caller subsequently guides the police to a chilling discovery: the lifeless body of the little girl lying in an open field, her gruesomely torn remains a testament to a monstrous crime. Following Jewish customs, her family lays her to rest with solemn respect. This terrible act sends ripples through the community: Detective Micki is stripped of his badge, yet he devises a sinister plan to abduct Dror and force a confession that would absolve him of culpability. In his stead, another police officer, Rami, steps up to navigate the intricate web of the investigation.

As the search for the truth grows more desperate, Gidi, the devastated father of the victim, is consumed by grief and paranoia regarding Dror’s involvement in the tragedy. A former soldier, he is resolute in his belief that Dror is guilty and plots a kidnapping. Before Gidi can act on his intentions, Micki seizes Dror from the streets. The situation takes a dramatic turn as Gidi gains the upper hand, abducting both Dror and Micki and transporting them to a grimy, abandoned house amidst a maze of Arab villages.

In this desolate location, Gidi and Micki find themselves in a twisted duel of psychological and physical torment against the vulnerable Dror. As Micki’s conviction wavers and he begins to question Dror’s guilt, Gidi’s unforgiving resolve strengthens, allowing him to overpower and confine Micki in a dark and dank basement. The tension escalates when Gidi’s father, a military veteran who cares deeply for his troubled son, accidentally stumbles upon the captives while attempting to deliver his famous hot soup as comfort. This unexpected encounter unwittingly triggers a sequence of events that compels Gidi’s father to embark on a quest to uncover his granddaughter’s missing remains.

In desperation, Micki seizes a rusty nail, using it as leverage to persuade Dror to spin a tale about the location of the girl’s severed head, hoping to secure a brief window for their escape. Reluctantly, Gidi departs from the eerie venue to follow this lead, leaving behind the tense standoff with Micki. Meanwhile, Micki hastily absconds, setting out into the unknown in search of assistance.

The harsh reality becomes evident when he reconnects with local law enforcement, only to receive the disturbing confirmation that his own daughter is missing. In that moment, Gidi’s expression hardens as he reflects on Dror’s cryptic statements with newfound intensity—did Dror somehow sense the turmoil of Micki’s fatherhood? The chilling realization sends shivers through Gidi.

Refusing to accept the stalemate, Gidi retraces the clues to the site where Dror had alluded to his daughter’s potential location. His efforts yield no discoveries, leading him back to the abode where he unleashes his agonizing frustration upon Dror with a saw. Just as Micki arrives on the scene, it becomes painfully clear that Dror is now beyond the point of revealing any further insights regarding his daughter’s fate.

In the aftermath of this horrific turn of events, Rami meticulously combs through Dror’s ominous home, searching diligently for any trace of damning evidence. His thorough inspection yields nothing incriminating, and he departs, entirely oblivious to the dark secret concealed behind a false wall—Micki’s daughter, unconscious and trapped, remains just out of reach, her fate dangling precariously in the balance.