Jedis, Bellas, and Jaegers await you in our Winter Movie Guide. Plan your season and take note of the hotly anticipated indie, foreign, and documentary releases, too.
When her fiancé bows out on the eve of her wedding, Michal refuses to cancel the wedding arrangements. An Orthodox Jew, she insists that God will supply her a husband. As the clock ticks down.
Past Life tracks the daring late 1970s odyssey of two sisters - an introverted classical musician and a rambunctious scandal sheet journalist - as they unravel a shocking wartime mystery that has cast a dark shadow on their entire lives.
This is a story of fatherhood. Ovadia is the strongest and most violent doorman of Tel Aviv night clubs. He has no fear of anything and he never lost a fight . His biggest dream is to ... See full summary »
Director:
Meni Yaish
Stars:
Dan Mor,
Rotem Zissman-Cohen,
Doron Ben-David
As a family from India moves in to a desert neighborhood in Southern Israel in the 1960's, the family's eldest, beautiful daughter discovers friendship and romance with the lovely local ... See full summary »
When Eyal finishes the week of mourning for his late son, his wife urges him to return to their routine but instead he gets high with a young neighbor and sets out to discover that there ... See full summary »
Within Brooklyn's ultra-orthodox Jewish community, a widower battles for custody of his son. A tender drama performed entirely in Yiddish, the film intimately explores the nature of faith and the price of parenthood.
Hagit, a young woman with mild mental deficiency, works in a toilet-paper factory. She lives with her mother Sarah, a divorcée who gave up her life for her daughter. Hagit strives for ... See full summary »
17-year- old ASHER has always been the impulsive troublemaker, from primary school, all through junior high and high school. It's hard for him to concentrate in class, and he is compelled ... See full summary »
The sharp, often hilarious satire that became the most successful film in Israeli history is about new immigrants Sallah and his family, who are left in a shack near their promised ... See full summary »
Yoel, a meticulous historian leading a significant debate against holocaust deniers, discovers that his mother carries a false identity. A mystery about a man who is willing to risk everything to discover the truth.
The Israeli film Ismach Hatani was shown in the U.S. with the title The Women's Balcony (2016). The director was Emil Ben-Shimon. The movie begins with the collapse of the women's balcony in an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem. The rabbi's wife suffers head trauma and becomes comatose. The rabbi, although physically not injured, develops what is probably PTSD.
A new, young, charismatic rabbi appears to help the congregants rebuild their synagogue. Rabbi David, portrayed by Avraham Aviv Alush, is a natural leader. That, indeed, becomes the problem. Rabbi David convinces the men of the synagogue to rebuild the structure, but without a women's balcony.
A non-Orthodox Jew in the U.S. might think that this is a good thing. Why do the women need their own space? Why not just mix with the men? The reason is that--in this context--mixing with the men is unthinkable. So the women would be segregated in a small room, still away from the men, but unable to directly observe the rabbi and the male members of the congregation.
The plot really begins at this point. Do the women get their balcony, and, if so, how do they do it?
I enjoyed this film because it was well acted, well photographed, and well directed. It also gave me a glimpse into a culture that is very different from my own. This movie is one of many outstanding films shown at the remarkable Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. We watched it at the excellent Dryden Theatre, in the George Eastman Museum. It will also work well on the small screen.
Note that this film has an anemic IMDb rating of 6.8. It's better than that, and deserves your attention.
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The Israeli film Ismach Hatani was shown in the U.S. with the title The Women's Balcony (2016). The director was Emil Ben-Shimon. The movie begins with the collapse of the women's balcony in an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem. The rabbi's wife suffers head trauma and becomes comatose. The rabbi, although physically not injured, develops what is probably PTSD.
A new, young, charismatic rabbi appears to help the congregants rebuild their synagogue. Rabbi David, portrayed by Avraham Aviv Alush, is a natural leader. That, indeed, becomes the problem. Rabbi David convinces the men of the synagogue to rebuild the structure, but without a women's balcony.
A non-Orthodox Jew in the U.S. might think that this is a good thing. Why do the women need their own space? Why not just mix with the men? The reason is that--in this context--mixing with the men is unthinkable. So the women would be segregated in a small room, still away from the men, but unable to directly observe the rabbi and the male members of the congregation.
The plot really begins at this point. Do the women get their balcony, and, if so, how do they do it?
I enjoyed this film because it was well acted, well photographed, and well directed. It also gave me a glimpse into a culture that is very different from my own. This movie is one of many outstanding films shown at the remarkable Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. We watched it at the excellent Dryden Theatre, in the George Eastman Museum. It will also work well on the small screen.
Note that this film has an anemic IMDb rating of 6.8. It's better than that, and deserves your attention.