June Zero adds Holocaust twist

          With June Zero, an offshoot of the Holocaust’s many facets once again inspires an intriguing film. Director Jake Paltrow, co-writing the screenplay with Tom Shoval, looks at the aftermath for three people affected by the conviction and execution of Nazi official Adolf Eichman. The story starts disarmingly when a wily young boy prone to trouble inadvertently finds himself involved in creating an effective cremation oven in Israel, where religious practices precluded the need for burning the dead. Action shifts smoothly to Eichman’s prison security guard and then to a victim who gave key testimony at the trial. Without fully realizing it, the three played unusual but important roles in Holocaust history, a history the script sees as vital to continuing lessons by “never forgetting” that atrocities can happen too easily. Paltrow seeks authenticity in his project by filming in Israel and using little known performers speaking Hebrew. Shooting on 16mm filmstock, he gets a documentary feel to much of the project, with a shaky handheld look at times. His stars suitably lack gorgeous glamor, all giving strong performances, the older ones bearing faces lined with troubled emotions.  Meanwhile, Noam Ovadia comes across with surprising skill as the school-age David, a blending of lithe athleticism and expressive features. Finding an approach that dares to be different, June Zero makes a worthy entrance into the realm of Holocaust related films.