Showing @ Cineworld, Edinburgh, Thu 27 & Sat 29 June

Jonathan Gurfinkel / Israel / 2012 / 96 mins

When a victim actively pursues those who abuse her, where does the blame lie? This is just one of many uncomfortable questions that Six Acts raises in its tragic story of teenage power and exploitation. Sixteen-year-old Gili has just changed schools. Her new classmates are privileged and sophisticated and she is desperate to be accepted into their ranks. So when her pursuit of popular boys Tomer and Omri seems successful, she is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to gain their approval.

Six Acts traces Gili’s rapid and yet believable descent into sexual abuse at the hands of the charming and manipulative Omri.  It is difficult to say what is more excruciating: the girl’s pathological need for attention which means she is willing to accept each new humiliation, or the casual way in which the boys mistreat the women around them. Sivan Levy‘s Gili is the kind of character that will make viewers want to reach into the screen and drag her from the situations she seems to actively seek out. But what finally sticks in the mind about Six Acts is the lingering sense that this is not just one girl’s story, it is a poisonous tale of class and privilege, of gender politics, roles and expectations that are handed down through generations.

Showing as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013