Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Israeli Films


This is the third year that I have gone to the Montreal Israeli Film festival. I've bought tickets to go see 6 shows throughout the week. Last night, I went to go see 2 amazing movies, Aviva Ahuvati (Aviva, My Love) and Shalosh Imahot, Three Mothers.
Here is a plot description from the Jerusalem Film Festival:
Aviva Ahuvati:
Aviva, a hard-working hotel cook in the small northern Israeli town of Tiberias, is on the brink of finally fulfilling her lifelong dream. For years she kept her remarkable writing abilities under wraps, until her sister, Anita, introduces her to Oded, an accomplished novelist. Immediately recognizing Aviva's talent, Oded takes her under his wing, promising to help her achieve greatness. But the journey to greatness effects her life and the lives of her family - her unemployed husband, her trouble children, her unstable mother, and primarily her sister, a funny and sensitive woman who have her own dreams. When Aviva discovered that Oded has other plans for her work, her world collapses.

Shalosh Imahot:
Rose, Flora and Yasmin were born as a triplet sixty something years ago in Alexandria, Egypt. Their well-off parents gave them names of flowers, and King Farouk of Egypt gave them his blessing. Today, in Israel, they live together in an apartment without men and without children. Flora has just retired from her work as a midwife, Yasmin awaits a kidney transplant, and Rose, once a successful singer, is wrapped in silence since the death of her husband. One after the other, the three sisters come to "This is your life," a place where people recount their memoirs, in order to tell their life story to Rucha (Rachel), Rose's only daughter, and talk about their symbiotic relationship. They are also searching for the long lost son of one of them who was given away for adoption under mysterious circumstances. During this period their lives and that of Rucha will change dramatically. Hidden ghosts will slowly appear, forcing the three sisters to confront the secrets and lies, and seek forgiveness. At the end of the journey into the past, after they redeem themselves, the sisters will embark on a new journey, to Alexandria, where Yasmin will undergo her kidney transplant and Rucha, who regained her own memories, will be able to start a new life.
****
These are two fantastic movies and they both won awards in Israel and internationally, at the Cannes festival in Paris. I'm going back tonight to go see 2 more. I'll tell you about it afterwards. I would highly recommend these two movies if you can see them somehow.

5 comments:

Anne Rettenberg LCSW said...

Interesting; I somehow didn't peg you as someone who liked "chick" flicks.

nanc said...

i heard a stat recently that stated men actually like chick flicks more than women do...hmm...

Joe Gringo said...

as long as there's "hot" in front of chick flicks....then there's no problem. ;-)

We have a great moviehhouse here in Scottsdale, I'm sure they'll come our way...I'll keep my eye out

Avi said...

Tonight, I'm going to see an action-packed macho movie called Melakh HaAretz, Salt of the Earth, 'bout friends from the army, crime real manly stuff.

WomanHonorThyself said...

they sound fascinatin hun! hiya!..back from my trip..ty for all the comments while I was gone! :)