Victorious

This is the story of Abigail, a psychologist who has served in the military for many years and has developed a profound expertise in the workings of the minds of soldiers in combat. Unlike other mental-health officers she has always seen herself as part of the fighting forces and she has never hesitated to join the troops in training exercises and even during actual operations.

Abigail has a close and tender relationship with the impressive man she met many years ago as a young battalion commander and who now occupies the office of the chief of the general staff. At decisive moments she is summoned to advise him on how to achieve a crushing victory in a coming campaign. Among her duties is providing therapy for soldiers suffering from the trauma of warfare. Contrary to the accepted rules, she forms close personal ties with her patients.

When her son Shauli, whom she has raised as a single mother, is drafted and decides to volunteer for the paratroops, her life’s mission, her professional beliefs and her loyalty to the service are put to a dramatic challenge. When she finds herself in a situation where she herself must confront the act of killing, she experiences impulses whose intensity she has never contemplated.

Yishai Sarid has created the figure of a purposeful, passionate woman whose family life and romantic relationships are lived out in the shadow of the killing.