Issues of Family, Gender and the Workplace

Love Trilogy: Chained עיניים שלי  , directed by Yaron Shani (who co-directed the Oscar nominee, Ajami), is an award-winning psychogical profile of a man who loses his work, his status, and control over his own life.  

Rashi is a respected but tough-guy Tel Aviv cop, a man who knows how to defuse a difficult situation, and how to handle himself in tough spots.  His step-daughter is a rebellious 13-year-old, who has an uneasy relationship with her step-dad's strict demands. Rafi is a doting and loving husband as the couple is undergoing fertility treatments. We watch as his life unravels before our eyes. 

After a report of attempted drug sales in a park in Tel Aviv, Rashi and his partner shake down a group of teenage boys who are hanging out in the park.  As they are being searched, the kids are humiliated by the need to pull down their pants, and a few days later, two of the boys put in a complaint that they were sexually harassed by the police officer. With this wrongful accusation and the resulting suspension, Rashi’s life is thrown into disarray. The tragic ending is inevitable.

I think I prefer the hebrew title of the film  עיניים שלי  which means literally my eyes but is used in modern slang to mean my love. 

The other two films in this trilogy are Stripped and Reborn. 

As in the film Ajami, Shani works here with a cast of non-professional actors and uses improvisation to create the script, thus building an authentic and compelling feeling. Of course, there are disadvantages to using non-actors and improv – especially the fact that the look of the film is lacking in polish.  However, the overall effect is a good one and the resultant film is quite hard-hitting.

The film is produced by Black Sheep Film ProductionsLtd.  Take a look at the trailer.