Karaoke, direction and screenplay by Moshe Rosenthal, is a great comedy with a serious twist, that offers an all-star cast: Sasson Gabai, Lior Ashkenazi, and Rita Shukrun, who are all well-known veteran Israeli actors. It is no surprise, therefore, that the acting was tremendous! The film won a prize at the Jerusalem Film, Festival for debut film.
Karaoke, which is quite
memorable, is about neighbors in one particular apartment building in Holon who
all have major disappointments in life, harbor continual regrets, and are dreaming
of social-climbing.
This is the story of a middle-aged, suburban couple, Meir (Sasson Gabai) and Tova (Rita Shukrun), living in a suburb that doesn’t have a lot of culture or nightlife. Things become complicated for Meir and Tova when a charismatic and cosmopolitan neighbor, Yitzik (Lior Ashkenazi) moves into the penthouse in their building. Yitzik is single and lives in the world of stylish, beautiful people. He is someone who succeeded in business abroad, drives the fanciest car, and enjoys life.
Meir and Tova want to be friends with their suave, new
neighbor who has the loudest parties and important friends. They yearn to be more than run-of-the-mill
middle-class types. They want to be part
of the international scene, to reach a higher status and to be seen as classy.
After meeting their larger-than-life neighbor, Meir, who has been very quiet
and reticent all his life, begins styling his hair, Tova envisions herself as
being better than her neighbors, and their sex life improves!
Almost the entire film takes place in the apartment
building, except for two wonderful scenes.
One scene is when Yitzik takes Meir out on his motorcycle at night. Just picture the two of them riding together
on the motorcycle, wearing helmets, wind blowing in their faces, Sasson Gabai clinging
to Lior Ashkenazi. The other wonderful
scene is when Tova and Meir dress up (quite pathetically) to go out together
for a drink in their neighborhood.
The musical karaoke numbers are very striking, helping the
viewer see the characters in a new light.
At the screening at the Jerusalem Film Festival this week which I
attended in the presence of the filmmaker, Moshe Rosenthal, he admitted that
the film reflects his parents’ generation and has a personal background for him.
There was a lot of music in his family and this motivated him to use karaoke as
a tool to bring music into the film. He
said that he recalls from years ago that even his own parents looked with envy
when they saw a really cool couple at a family wedding party!
A social satire, Karaoke, a really enjoyable comedy, is available
from Gaudeamus Productions.
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