What Is Rocking Horse About?
The premise of Rocking Horse in 264 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the quiet hum of Tel Aviv’s streets, an Israeli artist returns after years of exile, carrying the weight of unfinished canvases and a lingering sense that something deep within him has never quite fit. The city pulses with a restless energy that mirrors his own unsettled thoughts, offering both the comfort of familiar rooftops and the sharp reminder of everything left behind abroad.
Back home, he steps into the strained world of his aging parents—an ailing father whose silence speaks volumes and a mother whose attempts to understand her son feel both tender and distant. The shadows of a wife and daughter left in New York linger in his mind, shaping his daily interactions and underscoring the personal gaps that surface as he walks the neighborhoods of his youth.
A chance reunion with a childhood companion introduces a new, enigmatic presence: Ansberg, now a wandering philosopher whose unconventional ideas about love and the city push the artist toward the edge of confession. Their conversations drift through cafés and alleyways, blurring the line between genuine insight and restless experimentation, and they together sense that Tel Aviva itself might be an undiscovered canvas.
Compelled by this mingling of memory and place, the artist contemplates turning his own life into a work of cinema—capturing the textures of his family, the restless heartbeat of the city, and the tangled threads of his own creative impulse. The notion feels both audacious and intimate, hinting at a project that could become a mirror for his inner turmoil while echoing the broader, ever‑shifting landscape of belonging that defines his return.
What Happens in Rocking Horse?
The complete story of Rocking Horse, from the first scene to the last, in 577 words (about 3 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 5 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Ami Susetz, an Israeli artist, leaves his wife and daughter in New York and returns to his homeland after years apart. The film follows his quiet, persistent struggle to decipher a deep-seated sense of failure that colors every facet of his life—his humanity, his role as a family man, and his work as an artist. The burden weighs heavily on him as memories of what didn’t go right in the past press in from every direction. His sense of self seems fractured: he has no clear past to cling to, and the future feels uncertain.
Back in the country he reconnects with the people who shaped him, from his ailing father to his mother, who keeps trying to understand her son even as the distances between them stretch. A crucial element of the story is his renewed contact with a childhood friend, Ansberg, a figure who has transformed into a philosopher and, in a striking turn, a homeless seeker of unconventional solutions for love in Tel-Aviv. Ansberg, Shmulik Kraus in the role, embodies the bookish, desperate energy that pushes Susetz toward choices that blur the line between art and life. He pursues a vision that he calls “conscientious” love for the city, and he urges Susetz to join him in shaping a new atmosphere for the city’s pulse.
Yet Susetz himself cannot be the archetype of any ready-made virtue, not until he resolves the core questions about who he is, why he was born, and what it means to live. The drama becomes an inward expedition: he questions whether he can be more than the sum of his failures, whether there is a path to authenticity that does not betray the people closest to him, and whether his creative impulse can endure the pressure of personal reckoning. His decision to confront these questions leads him to an audacious project: to make a movie about his own life—about himself, his parents, and the city of Tel-Aviv, seeking to map the vast, messy landscape of human existence. The act of filming becomes a mirror that simultaneously exposes and distorts the truth, turning intimate turmoil into cinema.
The film-within-a-film resists a tidy resolution. It does not neatly solve the mystery of Susetz’s life and its tangled ties to family, memory, and city. In a paradoxical twist, the project achieves commercial success, becoming a blockbuster even as it fails to settle the very pattern it seeks to illuminate. This tension—between personal disquiet and public triumph—forms the emotional core of the narrative, a meditation on the unpredictable way art can reflect life while life remains stubbornly unfinished. The closing act intensifies the sense of ruin and renewal: the movie is destroyed, burned as if to erase the fragile attempt at synthesis, mirroring the earlier burning of his paintings and underscoring a deliberate, perhaps unsettling, intention behind the destruction.
Throughout this meditation on art, memory, and belonging, the film features a notable ensemble of performers. The cast includes Levana Finkelstein, Levana Finkelstein, along with Shmulik Kraus, who embodies Ansberg; Arieh Elias and Arik Lavie bring depth to the elder figures, and Josie Katz adds a crucial presence to the human mosaic that anchors the story. Their work lends texture to a narrative that remains steadfastly intimate while acknowledging the broader currents of a city and a world in flux. The result is a thoughtful, long-form reflection on who we are when our lives become art and our art, in turn, demands our honesty.
Rocking Horse Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
12 key events in the order they happen, from “The 1973 war and the costs to his circle” to “Ami's unresolved questions linger”. 12 events name a place, across 3 locations.
- 1
The 1973 war and the costs to his circle
Ami Susetz's best friends are killed during the 1973 war, leaving him with a deep sense of loss. His paintings are burned, seemingly with intent, marking the destruction of his past as an artist. He feels he has no stable past or future, and questions his place in the world as a husband, father, and creator.
When:1973 Where:Israel
- 2
Abandons family and leaves New York
Ami leaves his wife and daughter in New York, severing ties as he abruptly returns to his homeland after years away. The departure marks a turning point, lifting him from one life and dropping him into another. The act is presented as a personal break with the past.
When:years ago Where:New York, USA
- 3
Return home to Tel-Aviv
Susetz returns to his homeland after years of absence, stepping back into a city that is both familiar and changed. The homecoming reopens old rooms and old questions about who he is. The return sets the stage for the rest of his existential journey.
When:present day Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
- 4
Reunions with family: father and mother
Back in Tel-Aviv, he reunites with his dying father, a symbol of mortality and unfinished business. His mother tries to understand him but struggles to find a way to connect with the son she barely recognizes. These family interactions deepen his sense of being judged by his own lineage.
When:present day Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
- 5
Meeting with Ansberg, the philosopher/homeless
A childhood friend, Ansberg, reappears as a philosopher who now lives on the streets. He adopts unconventional methods to revive love in Tel-Aviv and believes Susetz can help him carry out this audacious project. Their meeting inaugurates a strange partnership rooted in shared disillusionment.
When:present day Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
- 6
Ansberg's plan to change Tel-Aviv and Susetz's role
Ansberg outlines his radical plan to awaken citywide affection, insisting that Susetz participate as a conscience and collaborator. He pushes Susetz to confront the social experiment as a personal mission. The idea tests Susetz's willingness to act beyond his own comfort and fame.
When:present day Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
- 7
Internal struggle: who is he and why does he live?
Susetz realizes he cannot be 'conscientious' or anything else until he resolves his own fate. He grapples with questions about his identity, birth, and purpose. The search becomes the dominant thread of his life in Tel-Aviv.
When:present day Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
- 8
Decision to make a movie about himself
He decides to shoot a film about himself, his parents, Tel-Aviv, and the broader mystery of human life. The project becomes a meta-experiment that mirrors his inner crisis. He hopes the movie will untangle the puzzle that haunts him.
When:present day Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
- 9
Production challenges and existential questions
During production, the movie struggles to resolve the central existential pattern it's meant to illuminate. The process becomes a crucible in which Susetz tests his own limits as an artist and as a person. The failure to find clear answers intensifies the drama behind the camera.
When:during production Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
- 10
Unexpected success: the film becomes a blockbuster
Despite its philosophical limitations, the film unexpectedly turns into a commercial blockbuster. Audiences embrace it while critics debate its deeper meaning, creating a bitter irony for Susetz as someone seeking truth. The fame complicates his perception of his achievement.
When:release Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
- 11
Destruction echoes creation: the movie and the paintings are burned
At the end of the day, the movie is burned, echoing the fate of Susetz's paintings. The act appears deliberate, a symbolic destruction of both his art and his narratives. The blaze closes a cycle of creation and ruin that has defined his life for years.
When:end of film's life Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
- 12
Ami's unresolved questions linger
Even after the public success and the burning of his works, Susetz is left with lingering questions about who he is and why he lives. The film's collapse into myth does not fully answer his internal questions. The journey toward self-definition continues beyond the screen.
When:after events Where:Tel-Aviv, Israel
Who Are the Main Characters in Rocking Horse?
5 characters, among them Ami Susetz, Ansberg and Father (Ami's father): who each one is and the part they play in the story. 4 of them link to the actor’s page.
- AS
Ami Susetz
An Israeli artist whose quiet, persistent struggle to decode a deep sense of failure drives the narrative. His journey is an inward expedition that questions whether he can be more than his past and whether art can coexist with his commitments to family. He returns to Israel seeking authenticity, while confronting the fragility of his self-identity.
- 🎭 Artist
- 🧭 Identity
- 🧩 Family
- A
Ansberg
Played by Shmulik Kraus
A childhood friend who has transformed into a philosopher and a homeless seeker of unconventional solutions for love in Tel-Aviv. He embodies bookish, desperate energy and pushes Ami toward a vision of a 'conscientious' love for the city. His ideas serve as a catalyst for Ami’s choices about art and life.
- 🎭 Friend
- 🧠 Philosopher
- 🌀 Love
- F(
Father (Ami's father)
Played by Arieh Elias
Ailing and memory-haunted, he represents the older generation and the weight of legacy. His presence anchors themes of family duty, memory, and the pull of the past on the present. The relationship with his son becomes a barometer for reconciliation and understanding.
- 👨 Family
- 🧭 Tradition
- M
Mother
Played by Levana Finkelstein
Ailing yet perceptive, she attempts to understand her son even as the distances between them widen. She embodies maternal concern and the struggle to reconcile love with the imperfections of a fallen world. Her perspective grounds Ami’s introspection with a personal, emotional core.
- 👩 Family
- 💬 Understanding
- TP
The Producer
Played by Arik Lavie
A figure behind the scenes who helps shepherd the within-film project. He symbolizes the practical pressures of filmmaking and the tension between artistic vision and commercial considerations. His presence highlights how the creation of art intersects with industry realities.
- 🎬 Industry
- 💼 Collaboration
Where and When Is Rocking Horse Set?
Rocking Horse is set in Tel-Aviv and New York. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Tel-Aviv, New York
The story unfolds between Tel-Aviv, the Israeli homeland it centers on, and New York, the city of separation and return. It emphasizes the contrasts of an urban, culturally rich setting where family ties, memory, and artistic ambition collide. The city serves as both a backdrop and a catalyst for the protagonist's internal struggle over belonging and identity.
- 🏙️ Urban
- 🗽 International
What Are the Themes of Rocking Horse?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Memory, Art vs Life and City & Belonging.
-
01
Memory
Memory drives the protagonist’s sense of failure and guides his decisions about family, career, and self. The past continually intrudes, coloring present choices and shaping the arc of his personal quest. By attempting to film his life, he seeks a coherent narrative, even as memory proves unreliable. The theme explores how memory can both illuminate and distort the truth of who we are.
-
02
Art vs Life
The act of making a movie about his life becomes a reflective mirror that both reveals and unsettles him. The boundary between art and existence blurs as personal turmoil informs creative aims. The within-film achieves public success while leaving private questions unresolved, highlighting art’s power to illuminate without solving life. The destruction of the film underscores art's transformation of experience rather than its resolution.
-
03
City & Belonging
Tel-Aviv is portrayed as a living force that shapes the protagonist’s longing and choices. Ansberg’s philosophy of a 'conscientious love for the city' frames a vision of urban life as a partner in personal reinvention. The city acts as muse and mirror, reflecting aspirations, tensions, and the fragility of human connections. Belonging emerges as an ongoing negotiation between memory, relationships, and the social fabric.
What Kind of Film Is Rocking Horse?
Melancholic in tone, with slow pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Melancholic
- Pacing
- Slow
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A slow, reflective and deeply melancholic journey into the soul of a failing artist, defined by existential questioning, profound loss, and a quiet but persistent sense of personal and creative despair.
- introspective
- melancholic
- lonely
- reflective
- existential
- somber
- artist's crisis
- existential search
- family estrangement
- grief and loss
Content notes: war trauma, self-destructive behavior.
Quiz
How well do you remember Rocking Horse? Test yourself on the story.
