Hunting the Elements

Hunting the Elements

Year: 2012

Runtime: 117 mins

Language: English

Director: Chris Schmidt

Documentary

The series explores the origins of nature’s building blocks—the chemical elements that make up everything from the carbon in our bodies to the metals in smartphones. Host David Pogue, technology columnist and NOVA “Making Stuff” presenter, guides viewers through extreme chemistry, showcasing the strongest acids, deadliest poisons, the universe’s most abundant elements, and the rarest substances forged in particle accelerators that exist only for fractions of a second.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Hunting the Elements (2012)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Hunting the Elements (2012). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Israel

The events unfold across locations in Israel, including a bank, an elderly home, and private estates tied to a family history. The setting blends urban and institutional spaces—banks, retirement homes, and a private home—where financial desperation and old loyalties collide. The plot is driven by both contemporary city life and lingering historical tensions around property and inheritance in Israel.

🇮🇱 Israel 🏛️ Heritage & Estate 🏦 Bank Heist

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 20:02

Main Characters – Hunting the Elements (2012)

Meet the key characters of Hunting the Elements (2012), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Daniel

Jonathan’s father, a bank employee whose sudden death triggers a cascade of financial and relational crises. His strained history with Eliyahu and Dorit shapes the family’s mistrust and the choices they make after his passing.

👨‍💼 Family 🏦 Bank

Jonathan

The central figure who witnesses his father’s death and becomes entangled in planning the bank heist. He navigates a fragile family network, and his actions—posing as a victim and burning money—reveal both desperation and a calculating side.

🧭 Family 💸 Desperation

Dorit

Jonathan’s mother, who forms a relationship with Dedi out of financial need. Her decisions reflect the pressures of money and survival in a family fractured by past disagreements.

💔 Family 💰 Survival

Eliyahu

A former Lehi fighter living in the elderly home, harboring long-standing resentment toward Dorit for past choices. He partners with Nick’s dementia-related unpredictability and ultimately robs the bank with his crew.

⚔️ History 🧓 Elderly

Nick

Eliyah u’s friend, an elderly man with dementia who becomes a complicating factor in the heist after taking a guard’s gun and turning himself into a hostage. His condition blurs the line between victim and threat.

🧓 Dementia 🕵️‍♀️ Unpredictability

Roda

Wife of Eliyahu, comatose in the elderly home. Daughter of a British lord, she inherits an estate that becomes central to the family’s conflicts and the brothers’ schemes.

👩 Heritage 💼 Inheritance

Michael Simpson

Roda’s brother, a Shakespearean actor by choice who seeks to control or remove life support and seize the estate. His actions reflect the tension between art, legacy, and financial power.

🎭 Heritage 💸 Wealth

Dedi

Bank manager who refuses compensation after Daniel’s death, citing gaps in the insurance contract. His role highlights the cold logic of institutions in personal tragedy.

🏦 Bureaucracy 🕴️ Power

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 20:02

Major Themes – Hunting the Elements (2012)

Explore the central themes of Hunting the Elements (2012), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🗝️ Crime & Heist

A calculated bank robbery brings together a group of desperate characters who try to exploit weaknesses in the bank’s defenses. They create diversions that turn off a main alarm, letting them enter the safe. The plan falters when Nick, a hostage with dementia, complicates the situation and is not sent to prison. The heist becomes a catalyst for revealing loyalties, greed, and the price of crime.

👪 Family & Betrayal

The story is driven by fractured family bonds and old resentments. Dorit’s relationship with Dedi and her abandonment of Jonathan highlight how money shapes family ties. Eliyahu’s feud with Dorit provides a long history of betrayal that informs his actions. Jonathan’s choices test loyalties within the clan and expose where trust truly lies.

💰 Wealth & Inheritance

The estate and money motive are central to the conflict, including Roda’s life-support and the inheritance tied to her British lineage. Michael Simpson’s push to claim the estate demonstrates how wealth can drive ruthless decisions. The sale of the estate to fund care underscores the emotional costs behind financial maneuvering. The bank’s heist is framed as a desperate attempt to alter future fortunes.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 20:02

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Hunting the Elements Summary

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Hunting the Elements Summary

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Hunting the Elements Timeline

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Hunting the Elements Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Hunting the Elements

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