"World Cinema: Israel"

My book, "World Cinema: Israel" (originally published in 1996) is available from Amazon on "Kindle", with an in-depth chapter comparing and analyzing internationally acclaimed Israeli films up to 2010.

Want to see some of the best films of recent years? Just scroll down to "best films" to find listings of my recommendations.

amykronish@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Film Program at Beit Avi Chai

We have been watching films and discussing them with the directors in my latest film series at Beit Avi Chai, called Fact and Fiction - Diversity Within.

Last week we saw Eli Tal-El's The Name My Mother Gave Me about Ethiopian youngsters and their roots trip to Ethiopia. Check out what Brian Blum wrote about this session at
www.thisnormallife.com

Last night, we saw Until Tomorrow Comes, a TV drama scripted and directed by David Deri. The story is about 3 generations of women in a development town (Yerucham). I have written about this film before in this blog. In a fascinating conversation, the filmmaker talked mostly about the middle-aged mother, Lillian, played by Raymonde Abeccasis (mother of Yael Abeccasis) who is not a professional actress but as a singer she certainly displayed wonderful stage presence. She plays the role of a widow -- sandwiched in between her own mother, also a widow, and her daughter, about to become divorced. Lillian is finding it difficult to love again. She states quite openly that it wouldn't be right. Deri explained that in her traditional world, she believes that it would be a betrayal of her first love, her husband, the father of her children if she were to remarry. The change comes when her mother, the aging grandmother, is put in a home for the elderly. Lillian is suddenly free of a burden -- her commitment to her mother's sacrifices also as a widow for so many years and her traditional way of life. This break from the required path permits her to finally take the hand of the man who is offering her another chance at love.

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