Footnote is nominated for an Oscar

Joseph Cedar's film, Footnote, has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Unlike the other Israeli films of recent years that were nominated for an Oscar  -- Ajami, Waltz with Bashir, and Beaufort (also directed by Joseph Cedar) -- this film has nothing to do with the big "issues", no war, no heroes or anti-heroes, and nothing to do with Arab-Jewish relations.

Some have complained that Footnote is about an esoteric subject that won't appeal to many viewers.  The opposite is true.  Because of its subject matter, it becomes more universal than other Israeli films.  Yes, it is a film about strait-laced Jerusalem Talmudic scholars, but is is also about father-son relations and about competition and envy in the academic world. It is also about the Biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, the akedah, in which the father, if required, is willing to sacrifice his son on the altar, and, at the same time, his grown son is willing to take the step to become the sacrifice!

If you have missed Footnote, read about it in previous postings on this blog.