Footnote (2011)

Original Title

הערת שוליים He'arat Shulayim

Genre

Drama

Director

Joseph Cedar

Country

Israel

Cast

Shlomo Bar Aba, Lior Ashkenazi, Alisa Rosen, Alma Zack, Daniel Markovich, Micah Lewensohn, Yuval Scharf, Nevo Kimchi, Yona Elian, Tsipi Gal

Plot

Eliezer (Shlomo Bar Aba) and Uriel Shkolnik (Lior Ashkenazi) are father and son as well as rival professors in Talmudic Studies. When both men learn that Eliezer will be lauded for his work, their complicated relationship reaches a new peak.

Opinion

Donald Clark, The Irish Times, said, "It remains painful to live in a world where Jack and Jill makes it into commercial cinemas and this superb Israeli film gets kicked into the underbrush.", I could not agree with someone more. Footnote is an outstanding Israeli film, whose topic differs from what the international audience is accustomed. Joseph Cedar does not deal with the Palestinian conflict or terrorism, but with the rivalry between father and son, both Talmudic scholars, taking, in my opinion, a huge risk because this film could get stuck in the Jewish community, or be boring to outsiders.
The performances from Shlomo Bar Aba, who plays the father, and Lior Ashkenazi, who plays the son, are incredible. 

Quotes

Eliezer: That's a very nice idea, very nice... but wrong.

Uriel: I will tell you something that my father told me once: Your work has many things correct and many things innovative. Unfortunately, the innovative things are not correct and the correct things are not innovative.

Rating

9.0/10

Miral

Artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel latest film is not similar to his previous movies where in my opinion art and filmmaking merged more successfully; maybe first half of this movie, before Miral becomes the center story, camera moves and editing look and feel artier but everything changes to more “normal” narrative when the little girl becomes a teenager. Then this so-called controversial movie because of the story it tells, is to my eyes and ears not really controversial as tells a known story, Israel/Palestine conflict, told from the Palestine point-of-view, which also has been told in films like for example Elia Suleiman’s The Time That Remains that I believe was more emotionally successful conveying what Palestinians had to live since the Israel state was created thanks to extraordinary use of dark comedy.

Based on a novel by Rula Jebreal, who did the screenplay and seems is real life Schnabel companion, film tells the story of Miral but for more than half the movie you will not see her as the actual story told is about Hind Husseini, marvelously played by Hiam Abbass, the wealthy woman that takes in her house orphan children from the 1948 war with the orphanage eventually becoming a school for girls that still exists today. Not only this part of the story is visually told more interesting but also story and Abbass performances are compelling. Miral story per se is interesting but I believe that was not translated into the screen in a compelling way as you can’t sympathize with her not-really-shown struggle deciding between becoming active in the urban guerilla or do something to promote peace.

Not exactly what I was hoping from Schnabel and end-product is not as interesting as could or should have been as telling the story of four women Hindi Husseini, Nadia (Miral’s mother), Fatima (Nadia’s cell mate) and Miral HAD to be more interesting especially when most of what happens is true life facts and reality.

Can’t recommend the movie but have to share that story got me curious, so curious that think will read the book by Rula Jebreal as I need to know details that so obviously were left out in the movie. Still IF you’re interested in a Palestinian vision from the Israel-Palestine conflict I strongly suggest you to watch Elia Suleiman marvelous The Time That Remains, but be prepared for non-conventional art cinema.

Enjoy.

Watch trailer @MOC

Ajami (عجمي‎ - עג'מי‎)

Soon we will learn Israel's submission to the Oscar and if is anything alike to last year submission and Oscar nominee, will have to watch it immediately as the debut by Scandar Copti (Palestinian born and raised in Ajami) and Yaron Shai (Jewish Israeli) is an amazing film that from the very beginning up to the end grabs your attention and won't let it go, not even for a second, not to think twice what's happening, not to analyze a thing; the film is one non-stop ride into the a slice-of-life of some characters presented not in chronological order, with the story moving back and forth, plus re-telling from a different point-of-view, until all stories merge in one point and it's the end. Amazing, truly amazing especially because you will not see violence (when everything is violent), you'll not see political statements or something in particular besides what could be normal life in an impoverish neighborhood with a melting pot of cultures and conflicting views among Jews, Muslims and Christians.

It's a story that looks and feels so real, but the way is told is what makes this film a cinematic experience in storytelling, hard, very-hard to believe that is the debut film of two young directors (and screenwriters), as shows great storytelling mastery with amazing narrative and especially the awesome cinematic language that fast involves you and doesn't let you go until the very end. Fantastic.

It was such an intense one long sigh voyage that when the film was over I had to stop my mind and review the whole film -in my mind- to really grasp everything that I watched for the past two hours; not the story, but the visuals and the amazing editing that creates an unique -and very compelling/involving- storytelling style. Absolutely a must be seen film that I hope many have already seen by now.

As brief as possible here is a plot summary, the story is narrated by young Nasri and tells about his older brother Omar fighting a criminal vendetta against his family. Omar is Muslim and in love with Christian Hadir, his boss daughter; the boss Abu Elias owns a restaurant where Omar and illegal immigrant Malek work. Malek is desperately trying to make money for her mother's life-saving surgery. Dando is a Jewish police officer obsessed with finding his missing brother and last, Binj a Palestinian dreaming of a future with his Jewish girlfriend and played by none other than Scandar Copti. Most -if not all-characters are played by non-actors, which absolutely adds to the realistic look of the story and film.

The film collected many honors including Special Mention Camera D'Or at 2009 Cannes, winning the top awards at 2009 Ophir Awards, and being one of the five Oscar nominees in the Best Foreign Film category.

Strongly suggest you don't skip this movie that I know will watch more than once as I have to understand -more- the amazing storytelling style.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @Movie On Companion