By Cailin Acosta
LA MESA, California – Shoshana is a 2023 British biographical thriller directed by Michael Winterbottom. The film bookends its story with documentary-style newsreel footage spanning from the early 1930s through 1948, grounding its drama in the turbulent history of British Mandatory Palestine.
Set in Tel Aviv between 1938 and the mid-1940s, the story follows the tragic romance between Shoshana Borochov (Irina Starshenbaum) — daughter of one of the founders of socialist Zionism — and British police officer Tom Wilkin (Douglas Booth). Their relationship unfolds against the backdrop of Wilkin and fellow officer Geoffrey J. Morton (Harry Melling) hunting Zionist militant Avraham Stern (Aury Alby).
Borochov is portrayed as a member of the Haganah, the Jewish defense organization established in the 1920s to protect settlers from Arab attacks. The Haganah generally cooperated with British authorities in efforts to maintain order, but in 1931 a more militant splinter group — the Irgun — emerged, intent on expelling the British and founding a Jewish state. In the film, Stern is arrested by Morton, who pressures Wilkin to end Britain’s tacit toleration of the Haganah, straining Wilkin’s bond with Borochov.
With the outbreak of World War II, Irgun suspended hostilities against the British, leading to Stern’s release in 1940. Upon regaining his freedom, Stern founded Lehi, an even more radical underground group. The film depicts Lehi’s shocking attempts to collaborate with Nazi Germany, united by their common enemy: Britain. In February 1942, Morton and Wilkin tracked down Stern, who was killed during his arrest — an event that triggered Lehi’s vendetta against the two officers. The story builds toward its climax in 1944.
Historically, Borochov and Wilkin’s relationship spanned from 1933 until 1944, lending added poignancy to the film’s central love story. Winterbottom weaves their private hopes for a shared future with the sweeping political upheavals of the time, creating a compelling narrative where intimate romance collides with the forces of history.
Shoshana is both fascinating and heartbreaking — a portrait of love tested by war, ideology, and the inescapable politics of its time. It may be viewed on Netflix and other streaming services.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.