Ben Zaken

Eliraz Sade (sa-DEH) was best known for reality TV at the time, and here he chose a job of acting that could get him taken seriously and maybe even win him high standing in the acting profession. A role without a fun side, the role of a failed man who is the weakest link in a miserable family. The problem, apparently, is that the movie doesn't have a fun side either and despite good responses from critics and at festivals, it didn't attract big crowds. It moves very slowly, it is beautifully photographed but with beige and grey predominating, and the characters have all had their major bad luck and made their major mistakes before the movie even begins. There are some plot threads I couldn't quite follow, about the dissolution of a curse and about a woman in love with the protagonist's brother, but mostly the movie focuses on his woebegone daughter. She's vivid and believable, as are all the characters. Watch for the use of water as a recurring symbol in the movie. It's well worth watching if you don't mind the bleakness.