Abulele - a new children's film

I went to a children's movie yesterday at a local movie theater and I enjoyed the "coming attractions" for upcoming children's films -- Steven Spielberg's animated The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant), an animation  by the team that made Shrek, and more.  

But most important, I loved the values and messages of the film that I saw, Abulele by Yoni Geva.  It's about the importance of bravery, friendship and standing up for what you believe.

This is a film filled with tension about a 10-year-old boy named Adam who lives in Givat Massua, a neighborhood in western Jerusalem.  Adam lost his big brother in a car accident a year ago and is carrying around a burden of guilt.  His loneliness, together with his capacity for facing his fears, lead him to be capable of believing in a large furry monster as his closest friend.  Most others cannot see the monster and if they do they are terrified of him.  His neighbor, a girl from his class, however, is also particularly vulnerable -- and so she can see and appreciate the monster and they band together to fight to protect him.

Adam learns from the Arab janitor in his school (played by Makram Khoury) about Abulele, ancient monsters of the night who come out to scare little children.  This is the monster who will come and get you if you're not a good little boy or girl.  But Adam eventually discovers that the monster who is certainly big and scary can also be warm and fuzzy.

This is a fantasy film for children, but it's also about bereavement, divorce, bullying, and loneliness.  It's a film in which the viewer definitely believes in the existence of the monster, and doesn't understand why everyone doubts it.  I love the way the monster begins to help Adam with his problems -- by bullying the bullies, and by getting "even" with the overly zealous and somewhat cruel civics teacher.  

This is also a good guy/bad guy story with a SWAT team (Israeli security forces) which is supposed to be fighting the forces of evil, but here they are hunting Adam's Abulele.  So, who turns out to be more scary and dangerous -- your warm and fuzzy monster or the local SWAT team?  And don't be surprised that you will find yourself rooting for the warm and fuzzy monster!

Watch the trailer on youtube (Hebrew only). 

Abulele, the first film by filmmaker Yoni Geva, is available from United King Films.

Teaching Our Children that They Can Make a Difference!

This week I went to the movies to see an Israeli comedy made for children.  The movie theater was filled with elementary school kids.  My grandchildren aren't old enough -- so why did I go?  Because recently I was asked to research Israeli films that would be appropriate for Jewish elementary schools and middle schools in the U.S.  This one fits the bill!

 

Guavas, directed by Kobi Machal, is a comedy for children with lots of singing and dancing, on a surprisingly high and professional level.  The film mixes talented young actors, singers and dancers with muppets (in the Sesame St. style), a fair amount of foolishness, and good-natured slapstick.   

The story is about a 12-year-old girl named Billy who moves with her parents to a small town populated with all sorts of weird characters, including the muppet janitor of her apartment building, the over-the-top hair stylist, the evil and manipulative municipal worker, and Billy's new friend -- the nephew of the head of the town council.

Billy is a real heroine, helping the town's citizens organize against the destruction of the guava tree on her street.  Although this is a film for children, there are political overtones, making fun of urban planning issues and municipal workers interested only in their own self-interest (a breed which is not lacking in this country).   

Confronting the bulldozer that comes to destroy their apartment building in preparation for building a highway through the town, Billy sings, "It's time to make a difference," which is obviously a voice for standing up against bulldozers which destroy homes (specifically Palestinian homes that are built without permits).  She also sings, "change will come from the street", which is a reference to the middle class street protests of a few years ago.  

Guavas is in simple Hebrew and would be great as a Hebrew-teaching tool in Jewish Day Schools! 

No vulgarity.  No nudity.  No violence.

Produced by United King Films.