A Disappointing Film

There are lots of good Israeli films playing in the movie theaters in Jerusalem right now.  I highly recommend Foxtrot, Scaffolding, Longing and Maktub – all of which have been reviewed previously on this blog. 

There is one more playing right now – The Burglar (הפורצת) by Hagar Ben-Asher -- about a teenage girl, living in Arad, who discovers that her mother has suddenly left her. The girl begins to break into apartments to obtain money in order to pay the rent and to buy a motor scooter.  Things become weird when she uses the money to pay for a hotel room by the Dead Sea in order to attract a visiting German geologist.  It is too bad that the film suffers from a lack of depth and little character development, and therefore I would not put this on my list of recommended films.

Troubled Youth

Doubtful by Eliran Elya, which premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival last week, tells the story of Assi, a screenwriter and poet.  Forced to do community service after having hurt someone in a drunken driving accident, he is sent to work with a bunch of problem juveniles in Beersheba.  There he forms a special bond with one of the troubled youth, named Eden, who lives with his single Mom. The older Assi and teenage Eden form a fascinating and somewhat ambivalent relationship.

Most of the film takes place in bleak and dark spaces – in a community center room in Beersheba, in Eden’s poverty neighborhood apartment, on buses and trains, in Assi’s apartment in Tel Aviv, and in Tel Aviv low-scale restaurants – nothing colorful or visually interesting.  In addition, I was disappointed because the film did not have enough depth and the characters were not well-developed. 

Eden is a compelling young man, but we don’t know enough about him, but one thing we know for sure – he is catapulting toward a violent end.   But how will Assi’s involvement be part of what happens?

The film is distributed by Go2Films. 

Scaffolding by Matan Yair Wins a Big Award

Scaffolding, directed by Matan Yair (and previously reviewed on this blog) won the award for best Israeli feature film at the Jerusalem Film Festival, this past week.  The film also took the prize for Best Actor and garnered an honorable mention for Best Cinematography.

Scaffolding world premiered in Cannes’ ACID Selection and is distributed internationally by New Europe Film Sales.

The jury commented that the award was given for the following reasons: "For a film that combines the reality of a group of teenagers and the will of questioning cinema and the role of filmmaking. For its capacity of capturing the tenderness sometimes behind these kids' violence, their capacity for love, their surprising imagination, in a society that places them in a marginal role forever."

Educational Issues

Scaffolding is a debut film by Matan Yair. It tells the story of a high school senior in Petah Tikva named Asher, who is struggling to finish school with a matriculation certificate.  He is one of the kids for whom school is not so easy – he is barely literate and he is tested orally in the matriculation exams.  We who live in middle class communities rarely meet this type of youngster– he is overly self-confident, always speaking up and telling you what he thinks, sometimes violent, and never quite understands the societal limits to his impulsiveness.

Asher’s domineering and somewhat cruel father owns a scaffolding business and Asher is learning the business, helping out in all of his spare time.  His father doesn’t understand how finishing high school will help his son in his future, so he discourages him from studying for the exams.  The Hebrew word for scaffolding is pigumim, which is a pun --  it is not only the buildings that they fix which are in bad shape, but also in desperate need of fixing is the society which allows schools to mistreat kids at the margins the way that this school does.

Asher and his friends have a new teacher for literature, who tries very hard to understand them and is able to communicate with them.  Indeed, he is a heroic teacher, reaching out to youngsters in trouble in ways that most teachers cannot succeed in doing. As a result, Asher suddenly wants to be the first in his family to finish high school.  But things are not so simple and after tragedy strikes, we wonder what will happen to Asher.

In his opening remarks at the premiere screening last night at the Jerusalem Film Festival, the filmmaker talked about his own experiences as a high school literature teacher, and his own fear that after completing high school, his students will never again read plays, short stories, or poetry.   This fear was the motivating force that was behind his writing the script for this excellent film, which was also screened recently at the Cannes Film Festival, and which gave him the impetus to use all non-professional actors, based on students he knew, when casting the high school students.

Scaffolding -- another film supported by the Gesher Multi-Cultural Film Fund – is a compelling and eye-opening story about Israeli high school kids who live on the margins, desperately wanting to learn like everyone else but years of illiteracy have taken their toll, leading them to a high school experience as juvenile delinquents.  It is also a story about a teacher who succeeds in making a difference in kids’ lives, reminding us of the power of good educators to help shape the future of their students.

For distribution information, contact maya@greenproductions.co.il

Defense Files

Are you a late night fan of Law and Order -- trying to unravel the complexities of society through understanding its criminal element? 

This year's Israeli TV documentary series, Defense Files, is better than drama and better than reality TV -- it provides a fascinating and realistic glimpse into the world of the criminal justice system and a look at the challenges facing Israeli society today.  It also helps the viewer to understand the world of the public defender's office -- where the uniquely motivated lawyers are trying to help people who come from diverse backgrounds, some of whom have been wrongfully accused and others have made serious mistakes. 

Six Episodes  - Money, Women, Youth, Death, Rehab, Family

Youth -- The public defenders are working to help young people turn their lives around.  These are young people from difficult backgrounds.  Galina is a teenage girl, quick to anger, incriminated in a stabbing.  The public defender is impressive in his attempts to understand what's behind her anger.  Maor is a young man, already imprisoned, who talks about the temptations of crime and the risks of returning to crime when he is released.  David is part of a gang of soccer fans which beats up Arabs.  He already has seven indictments for attacking Arabs.  He explains how becoming religious and studying Talmud has calmed him down. 

Death -- Valentin lost control of his car and kills a pedestrian and seriously injures a second person.  Mama is an African immigrant, accused of negligence in the case of the death of a baby in a toddler nursery.   David, a tractor driver, is charged with negligent homicide in an accident in which a Romanian construction worker was killed.

Each episode explores three difficult cases, including the lawyer's meetings with the client and family, meetings with the judge, exploring different options for defense, the verdict and sometimes the appeal.  Produced in a minimalist yet realistic style, this series, directed by Moish Goldberg, is comprised of six documentary episodes, 35 minutes each.  

Defense Files is available from Go2Films.