2021 marks the third annual Boston Israeli Film Festival, presented by Boston Jewish Film. This week-long festival celebrates Israeli film and culture through its mix of narratives, documentaries, shorts, and events.
This year’s Boston Israeli Film Festival runs from March 4-10, and is entirely virtual. Attendees can buy tickets to stream films any time during the festival’s run. They can also participate in virtual events and Q&As with filmmakers.
This is my third year covering the festival, and I’m glad that it’s continuing in virtual form. So far I’ve seen this year’s entire Israeli Short Film program, which features taut, moving films. The ones that resonated the most with me focus on performance anxiety, the power of movie magic, and the pitfalls of being right at all costs. Here are my brief reviews of each short film in the program.
Father’s Sonata
Tamir Faingold’s drama Father’s Sonata conjures anxiety into palpable dread. The short focuses on 55-year-old Noah (Menashe Noy), who gave up on his dream of becoming a pianist. Noah tries to relive this dream through his 13-year-old son Nir, who is preparing to audition for a music conservatory. But Noah’s fears about Nir’s talent whip him into such a frenzy that he almost wrecks the audition. Menashe Noy’s skillful acting creates angst that leaps off the screen. Faingold’s tight close-ups, which squeeze father and son into the frame, amplify Noy’s restless performance for 15 nail-biting minutes. After the tension of Nir’s audition subsides, Noah comes to his senses. But is it in time to repair the potential damage he has done to Nir’s psyche? Faingold leaves you hanging, yet hopeful.
Cinema Rex
Mayan Engelman and Eliran Peled’s Cinema Rex is a beautiful celebration of cinema. Set in 1938 Jerusalem, the animated short follows a Jewish boy whose father works as a theater projectionist. A trail of popcorn he finds near the projection booth leads him to an Arab girl in the lobby. In exchange for popcorn, he takes her up to the booth where they sit and bond by watching movies together. They don’t speak the same language, so film becomes their shared language. Seeing these two connecting through the magical power of cinema is incredibly sweet. So is watching them imagine themselves inside the movies. This short features gorgeous animation, vivid sound editing, and loving homage to classic cinema with fun gender-bending. Keep tissues handy because even when their parents realize what’s going on and try to keep them apart, these new friends just can’t stay away from each other.
If You Only Knew
Einat Gaulan’s short If You Only Knew is a devastating drama about a pregnant woman named Ellie who learns that her baby has no heartbeat. Reeling from the news, Ellie wanders a mall in search of solace. Thankfully she finds a measure of it at a nail salon, where the owner recognizes her plight and treats her with empathy. As Ellie, Neta Shpigelman gives an introspective performance that says so much about her character’s inner anguish. Gaulan’s wide shots and emphasis on minor events happening at the mall, also convey Ellie’s deep confusion and sadness. Even though this story is tough to watch, its ending at least offers some comfort. You know that Ellie has a long road ahead, but hopefully she’ll meet more kind, understanding people like the nail salon’s owner who will help her along the way.
In Between, Diary
Daniella Schnitzer’s animated short In Between, Diary packs a punch in just four minutes. Schnitzer uses striking color and animation to explore her feelings about her homes in France and Israel. Through split screens and bilingual voiceover, she offers a poignant exploration of immigration and assimilation. She does that by efficiently expressing the constant push and pull immigrants experience between their new culture and their native one.
White Eye
Tomer Shushan’s short drama White Eye is a gutting look at the tragic consequences of one man’s single-minded quest. When a young man (Daniel Gad) stumbles upon his stolen bike, he’s determined to get it back. It doesn’t matter to him that it belongs to a refugee (Dawit Tekleb), who says he bought it so he can take his daughter to school. Through Shushan’s use of space, location, and silences, he critiques racism, immigration, and the dangers of trying to “be right” at all costs. Gad delivers an angry performance as a narrow-minded man who refuses to acknowledge the humanity of the bike’s new owner until it’s too late. Tekleb perfectly captures the fear of a man who wants to resolve this kind of dispute fairly so the authorities don’t need to get involved. The short’s gut punch of an ending haunted me long after it was over.
Image of Victory
Adi Mishnayot’s documentary short Image of Victory is an insightful look at how an IDF soldier’s life changes after he is wounded in combat. Mishnayot’s brother Uri receives a hero’s welcome at the hospital where he is treated. Through footage of Uri’s time in the hospital, Mishnayot presents a pointed commentary on the emotional and physical costs of war. He also offers a compelling contrast for how we treat our wounded soldiers in the U.S. Seeing how supported Uri is by fellow citizens is moving, but it’s also heartbreaking because it makes me wish we did more to lift up our wounded soldiers here in the U.S.