The Secrets - Orthodox Judaism & Women

This film is directed and written by Avi Nesher, an Israeli filmmaker who's made a few interesting films. His co-writer was Hadar Galron.

Naomi, daughter of the head of a yeshiva, requests postponement of her wedding after her mother's death so that she may spend one year in study at a women's seminary in Safed. While studying there she befriends Michelle. They are assigned to bring food to Anouk, a mysterious French woman (portrayed by Fanny Ardant) who is very sick and who carries the burdens of her sins. The two young women devise a form of Tikun for her and become closer as they try to find a way to ease her suffering. They get in trouble for trying to help Anouk.

Their friendship is strained as they both want different things from life.

This film qualifies as a multilingual film with Hebrew, French and a tiny bit of English dialogue. It also has some beautiful cinematography!

I found this film to be an interesting look into the world of Orthodox Judaism and the challenges facing women who choose to go beyond their traditional roles.

I found this interesting link on the history of ordination of women rabbis.

Warning: There is nudity in this film. Unlike some films that have nudity for no good reason, I feel that it's relevant to the story.

Some quotes from this film:

"Accidental contact does not constitute sin."---Michael (played by Guri Alfi )

"No one's more chaste than Naomi. At age 5 she wouldn't go to synagogue in shiny shoes for fear they would reflect her..."  ---Racheli (played by Alma Zack)

"Women's idle chat. Like we're a couple of airheads."---Naomi (played by Ania Bukstein)

"Remember when I was little I wanted to head a yeshiva, like father?"---Naomi

"We can't let our emotional state dictate our lives."---Naomi's father

"Believe me, if I sing, no one will be happy here."---Sheine (played by Talli Oren)

"One is prohibited from self-mortification by fasting."---Naomi

"I know who she murdered. I looked it up on the Internet."---Michelle (played by Michal Shtamler)

"My mother, rest her soul, said that immersing herself in the ritual bath taught her to accept her body. Even after giving birth, even while she was ill."---Naomi

"In music, you're always taught to play the traditional way, but sometimes the untraditional way is the right way." ---Yanki (played by Adir Miller)

Here are a few scenes from this film:

Here's the official trailer:

Vasermil ---another soccer-related film but from Israel

Okay let me be honest...I'm not really into sports but show me a film sports-related with a good story about those into the sports then it's likely I'll be into it!!!

Vasermil is one of those types of films. Unlike some Israeli films, two of the main characters aren't your typical Israelis. Adiel's family is from Ethiopia and Dima's family is Russian. These two teen boys represent the diversity of immigrants that have moved to Israeli. At home they still speak the family languages Amharic & Russian while elsewhere they usually speak Hebrew. This film qualifies as a multilingual film!!

Both boys have been missing school and they are given one last chance to redeem themselves. Every day they must report to Matan & attend soccer (European football) practice. Adiel was already on the team but because of prejudice he wasn't able to participate in playing and has been avoiding attending the soccer practices. The captain the soccer team is Schlomi, an Israeli boy who's had issues with Adiel but he also has his own challenges.

This is a great film about Israeli teens and the challenges they experience. Soccer is the segway to having them learn teamwork and get to know and appreciate each other's strengths.

If you like films about soccer, you might also like to watch a Mexican film that I reviewed called Rudo y Cursi about two friends from a small town who get drafted to play soccer.

Some info about the actors:
Adiel is portrayed by Adiel Zamro who has since acted in a number of other films. Funny that his real name is the same as his characters. Schlomi is portrayed by Nadir Eldad and Dima by David Taplitzky (also spelled 'Teplitzky).


Some Quotes from this film:

"You do everything I don't want to do."--Matan to Dima

"Blind is he who chooses not to see."---Dima to Adiel

"We Rastas believe that only serenity brings peace."---Adiel to Dima

"Doesn't Rasta tell you to fuck whoever wants to fuck you first?"---Dima to Adiel

"Don't think I don't see you selling ecstasy and stuff on Fridays."---Adiel to Dima

"Go sit in the stands and watch your brother make a life for himself."---Matan to Schlomi's brother


Some scenes from this film:

Here's the official trailer for Vasermil:

A Matter of Size - Japanese culture in Israel!

Herzl has a problem. He's in a weight-loss program but he keeps gaining weight. He's also been told that he's a bad influence on the others. On top of that, his boss also told him that he's been demoted from the front of the restaurant to the kitchen.

After quitting his job, Herzl finds a job at a Japanese restaurant as a dishwasher. His Japanese co-workers watch Sumo and they comment that Herzl is like a Sumo wrestler. The boss Kitano is a former Sumo referee. Fed up with the diet club and inspired by Sumo, Herzl is inspired to take up Sumo Wrestling. He enrolls his friends to participate and they all have other issues in their lives in addition to being "big." Aharon has problems with his marriage. Gidi is an in-the-closet gay "bear."

I don't want to say too much more about the plot and spoil it for anyone interested in watching it except that it's funny, entertaining, heart-warming and thought-provoking. I thought it was unusual to mix Israeli and Japanese culture.This is also a multilingual film with dialogue spoken in English, Japanese and Hebrew.

This film definitely deserved to win some awards and it did! It's a very enjoyable film directed by Sharon Maymon and Erez Tadmor. Sharon also worked on the screenplay. Those watching this film might also enjoy the soundtrack.

Herzl (which by the way in German means "little heart!') is played by Itzik Cohen and his love interest Zehava is played by Irit Kaplan. Kitano is played by Togo Igawa who lives in England and was the first Japanese actor to become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company!


Here are some quotes from this film:

"Don't forget... with your mouth...we only talk."---Geula, diet club consultant

"Got married. Got divorced. Then got married again, then divorced...gained 10 kilos each time."---Zehava

"You're just a cook at a salad bar. So don't feel so heavy at the heart."---boss to Herzl

"But even on a diet you've got to eat. Do you want to starve to death?"--Herzl's mother to Herzl

"Hey, he looks just like a sumo wrestler!"---Japanese restaurant co-workers about Herzl

"No hot water again! And you call yourself a plumber!"---Aharon's wife

"It's crucial when and how much we eat. Cuz hunger is our slave, not our king."---Geula

"What's the deal? Does everyone have to be thin? You decided that fat is sick and we ate it all up. They're selling us self-hate here!"---Herzl

"So, should we get a little dirty?"---Zehava to Herzl

"Just since you haven't been able to fit in store-bought clothes."---Herzl's mother about her sewing

"Hope you don't like having sex in the dark."---Zehava

"When I was here in the sumo ring, I felt healthy for the first time in my life."---Herzl

"You think I'd cry about such nonsense? I've been hurt so many times before, I've lost count. I've got skin as thick as an elephants's."---Zehava

"I'm not wearing that. I'm no faggot."---Aharon

"My wife didn't cheat on me because I'm fat but because I'm a bad husband."---Aharon


Here are some scenes from this film:

Here's the official trailer for this film:

The Other Son, An Israeli film about a baby mix-up

The French title of this film by director Lorraine Levy is "Le Fils de l'Autre" which literally translates into "The Son of the Other." In my opinion, this is actually a more accurate title for this story.

Joseph Silberg (played by French-born actor Jules Sitruk, who had to improve his Hebrew and learn to play guitar for this role) is a young Israeli Jew in the process of joining the military. When his blood test raises questions, it leads to the discovery that he was mistakenly switched shortly after his birth in Haifa during a missile attack. His real birth family is Palestinian.

Eventually he searches out his other family and he becomes friends with Yacine (played by Medhi Debhi). Mahmud Shalaby portrays Bilal, the angry brother of Yacine. This actor has been in a number of interesting films. I'll review some of them in the near future.

Orith, Joseph's mother (played by the lovely French actress Emmanuelle Devos)

It's the modern and Middle-Eastern version of The Prince and the Pauper with powerful political overtones. It raises important questions like: Are you the faith of your original birth family or of the faith you've been raised in? Where do your loyalties lie?

What I also found very interesting about this film is that it had multiple languages: English, Hebrew, Arabic and French! Both families have French connections. It's an interesting point for the story because both knew some English and French, so they were able to communicate despite the fact that neither family spoke each other's traditional languages (Hebrew & Arabic).

It's also interesting to not that there seems to be many connections in many ways between Israeli, Palestinian and French Culture.

This film has some absolutely gorgeous shots in it too!! Great plot, acting and visual artistry make The Other Son an interesting, pleasurable and thought-provoking film to watch.

The director Lorraine Levy claimed to have been greatly influenced by the Israeli writer Amos Oz. Without the use of multiple languages, it probably wouldn't have been possible to shoot this film.

Here are some quotes from the film:

Joseph's conversation with military in-take:
"Hashish?"
"No."
"How often?"
"Tell me the truth, Joseph."
"Now and again."
"What's 'now and again'? Every day? Once a week?"
"Yeah, once a week or so. I'd rather my parents didn't know."

*********


"As you see, our villages are still imprisoned and our lands cut in two. A curse on those who stole from us!"---Bilal to his brother Yacine while they drive back to their home.

"No, he's an engineer. Only he's not allowed to work outside his village."---Yacine talking about his Palestinian father.

"I might have been a jerk like you obsessed with clubs and clothes."---Yacine to Joseph.

"Well, thanks to this jerk you won't look like a hick in front of Yona. ---Joseph to Yacine.

"Look. Isaac and Ishmael. Abraham's two children."----Yacine as he looked at himself and Joseph in the mirror.

"If I had died, would I have been buried as a Jew or an Arab?"---Yacine, from his hospital bed.



Some Quotes from the featurette:


"Family is the microcosm of the genesis of who we are."---Lorraine Levy, director of The Other Son.

"Adults are just children who earn money."---quote by Kenneth Branagh, repeated by Lorraine Levy.

"She made this because you're here. Eat.---Bilal to Joseph at the dinner table, indicating the Arabic customs concerning food.

Here are some scenes:

Here is the official trailer: