TELEVISION

Missing File - Season 1

Series: Missing File
3
(3)

About

An Israeli suspense drama series based on the bestselling novels "The Missing File" and "A Possibility of Violence" by award winning Israeli author Dror A. Mishani.
At the heart of the show are the disappearance of a young teenager in the midst of a terror attack in Tel Aviv, a satchel filled with fake explosives and a murder that no one knows took place.
These crimes are investigated by an exceptional police detective, carrying the unique name Avraham Avraham, who makes one crucial mistake that will lead him, in an incredible chain of events, to discover the truth.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 8

1. EP01

35m

Night. A black jeep drives through an isolated field and stops at a distant point. A man comes out of the vehicle, we cannot see his face. He pulls a large suitcase and a shovel out of the trunk. He digs a large hole, buries the suitcase, and covers it with dirt.
Day. Hana Sharabi, 43, arrives at the police station on Pichman Street in Holon to report that her sixteen year old son Ofer has been missing since the morning. He left home in the morning as usual, but never made it to school and hasn't been in touch since. The interrogator who sees her, Chief Inspector Avi (Avraham) Avraham, is convinced that the boy has cut classes or has run away from home for a few hours. He sends the mother home to wait for her boy. From his experience, Ofer will come home by nightfall, if he hasn't done so already.
The next morning there is a shooting in Central Tel Aviv. An armed terrorist starts shooting passersby with a machine gun and escapes the scene. Avi is called to the station, where he discovers that not only did Ofer Sharabi fail to come home last night, but the Shin Bet suspects that the terrorist may have abducted him while escaping.
The Minister of Homeland Security forms a task force headed by Barak, an investigator form the Tel Aviv Central Unit, whose job it is to locate the fugitive direct commander, sends him to find other leads for Ofer's disappearance. Barak the Special Unit Superintendent asks Avi for two things - not to get in his way, and keep the mother out of his way too.
Consumed with guilt over having sent Hana away and not launching the investigation on time, Avi, along with Liat Manzur, an officer who works with him, leaves for the Sharabi's home in Holon. The house is filled with relatives and neighbors. Only Ofer's father, Rafael Sharabi, 45, is missing, as he is a seaman on a voyage. Avi and Liat interrogate the neighbors and Ofer's friends from school. Nobody has seen Ofer, nobody has anything interesting to say about him besides his being a good boy who helps his mother out a lot. Only Ze'ev Avni, 35, a neighbor who gives Ofer private English lessons, claims that Ofer is an extraordinary boy, and that they had a special relationship. Avi wants to hear more, but receiving information that the Shin Bet has found a body sends him racing to the sand dunes of Rishon Lezion along with Liat. At the scene they discover that it's not the body of Ofer, but that of a taxi driver who apparently helped the terrorist escape Tel Aviv. Avi finds a detail there which eventually leads to the location of the terrorist. The terrorist is arrested and they discover that Ofer was not kidnapped.
The case is now given to Avi. He promises Hana Sharabi that he will find her son and bring him home. But Avi has no lead. Nobody has seen Ofer, nobody can think of a reason why Ofer would disappear. Also, for the first time Avi meets Ofer's sister Danit, who is severely retarded. It seems she is very attached to her brother.
That night, Avi is sent by Ilana to pick up a pair of Belgian police officers who have been sent from Brussels for professional training. Avi goes to pick them up, but discovers that only one of the two has arrived - Marianka (30). He drives Marianka to her hotel and tells her he will pick her up the next morning.

2. EP02

33m

The second episode starts a few hours later. That night, the search begins for the body in the abandoned lot. On the scene Avi arrests a young Palestinian, an illegal infiltrator who has been sleeping on the site with two other workers. Although he claims to know nothing, Avi takes him in for interrogation. Meanwhile, the search continues, but it is fruitless. Avi has a bad feeling. He's nervous. Another day goes by, Ofer is not found and Avi makes no progress. Marianka is swept into Avi's investigation. She feels they do not know enough about Ofer. Avi agrees, but hesitantly says there's nothing to know. He's a regular, introverted young man.
Meanwhile we see Ze'ev Avni sitting in his study, a room he has rented to write the novel of his dreams. Occasionally Ze'ev watches a video of Hana asking the public for help in finding Ofer, and even talking to Ofer and asking him to come home. Later that night, Ze'ev places a white envelope in the Sharabis' mailbox. On the envelope are two words: "from Ofer".
Ofer's father Rafael, who has returned to Israel because of his son's disappearance, finds the letter.
The next day, Ofer's schoolbag is found in a dumpster across from the Tel Aviv Central Police Station. The bag is sent to the lab. Avi thinks this is the first significant breakthrough in the case - an incentive. He sends Liat to pick up footage from security cameras in the area.
He comes to the Sharabis' home to update Hana and meets Ofer's father for

Avi discovers that the notebooks in Ofer's bag do not correspond with the school schedule on the day he went missing, but the previous day. Avi concludes that Ofer had no intention of going to school, but doesn't know why. Along with Liat and other officers, he continues to dig through the security camera footage. They discover the identity of the person who discarded Ofer's schoolbag - a youth of African descent.
Meanwhile, at the Sharabi home, Ofer's parents open the envelope that Ze'ev left in the mailbox. In it is a letter written by Ze'ev on behalf of Ofer, where he announces that they will never find him and he will never come back. Rafael reads it out loud to Hana, and she breaks down in tears.
Simultaneously, Ze'ev reads the exact same letter in his writing workshop at the library, to the applause and admiration of his fellow writing students.
The episode ends at the station - through the security camera footage, Avi and Liat retrace the path of the African boy and discover that Ofer's bag was given to him by none other than Rafael Sharabi, Ofer's dad.

3. EP03

35m

The third episode begins with an interrogation of Rafael Sharabi, who refuses to talk at first but eventually breaks down and tells Avi that the night before Ofer disappeared, he caught him in bed with his sister Danit. He claims that Ofer sexually molested his sister. Rafael didn't tell Hana because he knew it would kill her. He left on a voyage in the early morning. Throughout the day, when Hana called him to say that Ofer had disappeared, he knew exactly why, but was incapable of saying anything. When he came back to Israel, he found the bag in Ofer's room and realized that Ofer had no intention of going to school. Out of an effort to protect Ofer and hide the fact he had molested his sister, Rafael had made the bag disappear in order to maintain Hana's version - Ofer had left

for school as usual that morning. Avi is furious, and Rafael realizes his mistake. But he was afraid that Ofer would get into trouble. He didn't want anyone knowing such a terrible thing about his son.
Avi questions Hana Sharabi. She is adamant - Ofer could not have hurt his sister. He loved her and she worshipped him. He was a good brother and nothing could persuade her differently. Avi wants to talk to Danit but Hana will not allow it. She doesn't know where Ofer is, she can't help you, please leave her alone, Hana says.
As he leaves the Sharabis' home, Avi runs into Ze'ev Avni, Ofer's private tutor, and once again it seems to Avi that he is too enthusiastic to help. Ze'ev asks him questions about the investigation and tells him a little about their special relationship and how he exposed Ofer to literature and film. Avi summons Ze'ev for questioning.
Marianka and Avi meet at the police station. Avi fills her in on the developments. Now you know why Ofer ran away, she says. Yes, he replies, but I still don't know where. Avi is surprised to discover that Barak, the Special Unit detective, has been appointed head of the task force regarding Ofer's disappearance and Avi must now report to him. He feels that the case is being taken from him.
Avi hides Barak's alleged molestation of his sister from Barak. Marianka, who discovers this, thinks he's making a terrible mistake, but Avi is adamant. He doesn't want that information leaking out. Who'd want to find Ofer if they knew that he had hurt his sister? Marianka is persuaded that Avi needs to dig deep into the issue, to try and talk to Ofer's sister, but then Avi discovers the identity of the anonymous phone call sending him to look for Ofer's body - Ze'ev Avni, the strange neighbor.
Before Avi can interrogate Ze'ev, Barak discovers that Avi's been withholding information and lashes out. He wants to kick Avi off the cases but Ilana refuses to let him do so. Barak decides to question all the information Avi has given him so far. He feels he cannot trust Avi. Barak decides to relaunch the investigation and question Ofer's parents again. Ze'ev Avni does not interest him.
Avi decides to follow Ze'ev and discovers his secret room. Is he hiding Ofer there? Probably not, but one thing he does find in that room is a letter from Ofer to his parents.
Simultaneously, Marianka is assigned to a shift with the traffic police. The work is not thrilling, it's a license checkpoint on the road. Among the cars they stop is the fancy car of a fifty year old man, which has no special problems except a burnt out signal light.
But we keep traveling with that man, who turns off the main road onto a dirt path, stopping at the sides of a completely isolated field, where he pulls a suitcase and a shovel out of his trunk. We go back to the opening scene of the series and now we can see the face of the man who buries a suitcase containing a body.

4. EP04

34m

Avi wants to arrest Ze'ev Avni immediately but Barak demands that they wait until the forensic team completes its investigation. It seems the two are unable to agree on anything. Avi, who is incapable of waiting, presses Ze'ev's wife to make Ze'ev come to the police on his own. The pressure works.

Simultaneously we meet Haim Sara at home with his kids. His sister Liraz comes over urgently. It looks like something's happened. Haim tells his sister that Jenny has left him without any warning and without telling the kids anything. Apparently she's gone back to her family in Thailand. Liraz is confident she will come back eventually, Jenny would never abandon her children. Haim says he hopes she's right.
Later in the episode, Haim collects all of Jenny's belongings in a trash can. He burns her documents and passport. Later he meets his friend at Immigration and pays him to forge Jenny's leaving Israel in the immigration computers.
Ze'ev Avni is interrogated, where he confesses that he wrote letters and signed them "Ofer", and put them in the Sharabis' mailbox. Avi realizes that Hana and Rafael have hidden these letters from him, and this arouses his suspicion. In order to be sure that they really received the letters and without exposing his knowledge of them, Avi and Barak force Ze'ev to call the Sharabis and confess he was the one who wrote the letters, and tell them he has more information. Avi hopes that Hana will inform him of this conversation, but this doesn't happen. Everything Avi thought about this investigation falls between his fingers. Ofer's parents become primary suspects.
Marianka and Avi have become very close throughout the investigation. Avi has consulted with her quite a lot, and now Marianka needs to go back to Belgium. Slowly and tenderly, among everything that has happened, a fragile love story has emerged, and Avi and Marianka spend her last night together.

5. EP05

34m

Avi and Marianka say goodbye. He drives her to the airport. She gives him a parting gift - a pipe - every detective needs one.

Haim Sara finds a bruise on his son Shalom's back. He is convinced that the kids at kindergarten have given it to him. He confronts the teacher, Hava Cohen, who claims that such things do not happen at her kindergarten. When she raises the possibility that it could have happened at home, Haim Sara almost attacks her. Only the arrival of a father with his daughter makes Haim back down.
Avi and Barak call Hana and Rafael in for questioning. Avi investigates Hana, who claims she knew nothing about any letter. She also manages to reject any knowledge of the phone call from Avni. Simultaneously, Barak questions Rafael and manages to crack him. Rafael admits to killing Ofer. He claims he caught him in his sister's room, and an argument broke out, where Rafael pushed Ofer against a wall, where he hurt his head and died immediately. Barak is persuaded that Hana was an accomplice and was at home at the time of the event. Avi is assigned to getting the truth out of her.
Hana claims that not only was she out of the house, she's certain that Ofer didn't hurt his sister, and claims that when she came home, Rafael led her to the body of her son which was in Ofer's room, contrary to Rafael's claim that the body was in Danit's room. Avi concludes that Rafael is lying and he is the one who hurt Danit, not Ofer. He tries to get a confession out of Rafael, but in vain.
Avi leads Hana to her apartment and demands that she recreate the night of the event, in hopes that it will make her testify against Rafael. But she has no intention of testifying against her husband, it won't help her, it won't bring her son back.
Avi is brokenhearted, he sends a message to Marianka, telling her that Ofer is dead, and wipes the tears from his eyes.

6. EP06

32m

The investigation is closed. Avi is frustrated. He goes on vacation but cannot settle down. He wants to go to Brussels but finds out that Marianka has decided to give a second chance to her relationship with Guillome, her ex. Brokenhearted and disappointed he goes back to work. He is assigned to a case where a fake bomb has been planted by a kindergarten; Haim Sara's younger son's kindergarten.
Avi questions a local criminal called Amos Uzan who has been arrested at the scene, but cannot tie him to the case or to the kindergarten.
The next day, he goes to the kindergarten and questions the teacher, who claims that the fake bomb has nothing to do with her school. But Avi feels that she's over insistent. He talks to her assistant and discovers that a few hours after the fake bomb was planted, a woman called the kindergarten and said that it was just the beginning. Later Avi discovers that one of the fathers almost assaulted the kindergarten teacher a few days ago. He summons that father for questioning - it's Haim Sara.
In the investigation itself, Haim denies any connection with the fake bomb but feels that Avi suspects him of something. He fears that his true secret will be exposed. At the end of the day he picks up his son, informs the teacher he has nothing to do with the fake bomb, and threatens her not to mention him to the police.
In addition, Liraz, Haim's sister, is worried about his wife's disappearance. She can't see how Jenny isn't making contact with her boys. She tells Haim that Ezer, his older son, told her that the night before mommy went away he heard his parents fighting and saw his father leaving home with the big suitcase. Haim claims that the boy is confused and is inventing things, attributing it to his distress at his mother's departure, but deep down he realizes that the boy knows way too much.

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