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:

Carmo Hit the Road - A Different Kind of Road Trip with Paraplegic Hero

I saw this film quite a while ago and didn't write a review on it. But after telling someone about it, I realized, hey, I really should post a review on it. So here it is!

Carmo wants desperately to get away from her small town. She meets Marco, a lonely smuggler, when he rescues her from almost being raped. Marco is a paraplegic but you wouldn't know it from the way he can hold his own in a fight! She jumps at the chance to leave town with him.

Serrana, who is Carmo's mother and the local bank cashier and religious freak who's having a passionate affair with Alberto, a married man who's a local policeman keen to retire. The scenes of them together are quite hilarious!

There are some funny, outrageous and touching scenes throughout this film. You'll see lots of South American country as they travel Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina.

BTW, there is a nude scene in this film that I found quite touching, sensuous and heartfelt. I've always  felt that when it's appropriate to the story, nudity is an important component in a film.

With a cast of colorful characters and a great soundtrack, this is an enjoyable, entertaining and romantic road trip film directed by Murilo Pasta who is an Italian-Brazilian film-maker. You'll see a bit of the South American landscape in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia.  Viewers will see Corumba National Park & the Andes. Watch for images of Jesus and Jesus (pronounced "Jay-zoo') being mentioned and the ever-present Luz who pops up in surprising places. You gotta love the cheap knock-off stereos labelled 'Pear' instead of 'Apple.' Check out Carmo's creative ways of handling some sticky situations.

About some of the Actors:
Fele Martinez portrays Marco. If you think he looks at all familiar it's because he's a Spanish actor who acted in Pedro Almodovar's Bad Education. Carmo is brilliantly portrayed as a tough as nails woman who also has a very tender heart, by Brazilian actress Mariana Loureiro. 

There really are some great songs on this film's soundtrack:

Is Portuguese singer  Cesaria Evora on it? You bet! I heard a song that sounded like her and when I checked the credits I confirmed it. Online I found a video of her in concert. Even though this great Portuguese singer from Cape Verde passed on in 2011, her heartfelt music lives on! Here's the video of her in concert in 2004 and she performs the song that's on the soundtrack of this film as  well as one of my favorites  titled Besame Mucho!





There's also the great song Quase Nada (Almost Nothing) by Zeca Baleiro. Here's a video of him performing it in concert:

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Here are a few quotes from this film:

"This will get you as far as Bela Vista."---ticket agent to Carmo

"Trust me to pick up the village idiot."---Marco

"What is this? 'International Fuck-a-Paraplegic-in-the-Ass Week'?"---Marco

"It's Carmo. You must know her. The daughter of that religious freak that works at Banco do Brasil."---Lucio

"Don't stop! Don't stop, for the love of God!"---Alberto

"Hong Kong, Japan...It's all the same, isn't it?"---shop owner

"Do you think I'm ecstatic? About waking up every day after having been screwed by a stranger? Or about being pregnant and not knowing who the father is?"---Carmo

"By the way, have you left your wife or are you still leading my mum on?"---Carmo to Alberto

"I didn't love her father, the way I love you, you idiot."---Serrana to Alberto


Here are some scenes from this film:

Here's trailer for this film:

My Name is Khan---a different kind of romance & odyssey film

This is a film by director Karan Johar about an Indian Muslim man with Asperger's Syndrome. Viewers see his life as an odd child with a mother who tries her best to guide her son. When he has trouble attending a regular school, she finds him a private tutor. One of his special talents is his ability to repair many items.

After his mother dies, Rizvan (played oddly enough by an actor with the same last name as his character -- Shah Rukh Khan)keeps his promise to her to go to America and reunites with his brother Zakir in San Francisco. He starts selling beauty products to salons.

He meets Mandira, a Indian Hindu (played by Kajol) hairdresser in one of the salons. They become friends, get married and live together happily with her son Sameer.

Tragedy strikes shortly after 9/11 happens and many American Muslims suffer repercussions including Rizvan's new family. Rizvan sets out on a solo journey across the country trying to meet the President.

Along the way, he meets many interesting people and has some adventures. In Georgia, he becomes friends with Funny Hair Joel (played by Adrian Kali Turner) and Mama Jenny (played by Jennifer Echols). When he hears that their little town has been flooded by a hurricane, he returns to help them.

This film has multiple spoken languages: English, Hindi, Arabic and Urdu. In some ways, I think it's quite exaggerated, a bit corny sometimes but also touching and funny. As there's some flipping back and forth in time since the character is telling a story, be sure to pay attention so you don't get confused.

Also beware of the violence & racism in this film  This isn't gratuitous like in some films but an important part of the plot.

Some quotes from this film:

"My name is Khan and I'm not a terrorist."---Rizvan

"Oh, I think you recognized me. I am Rita Singh, ex-Miss India."---manager of salon

"You look so old. You must have been Miss India before I was born."---Rizvan

"A salesman and yet you speak the truth."---Mandira

"Mom, stop being filmy now. You're such a drama queen."---Sameer

"Fix Almost Anything"---Rizvan's sign

"...the way of Allah is of love, not of hatred and war."---Rizvan

Conversation:

"Mehnaz Herbal Beauty Products will make you glow like a newly-wed bride."---Rizvan to woman

"I'm divorced."--woman to Khan

"Uh-oh. We have nothing for the newly-divorced."---Rizvan

Here are some scenes from this film:

Here's the trailer:

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: