Ha-Chaverim Shel Yana

So we have 3 love stories throughout this movie - well, actually we have love for music as well, but traditional stories are three. One is very sexy, and once can justify that the gas masks the characters wear (there are attacks from Iraq at the time) and the need to be in the sealed room they share enhances the feelings. Eli is hardly a sentimental type, he asks Yana for a date as his lover yells for him from the bedroom ... yet he is very kind to Yana. He seems Mr. No Commitment, yet he is the one who asks "what now" after Yana's estranged husband is back to her life or at least back to the country. There is no real drama in this story. Prefering sexy and kind roommate to the husband who is ready to abandon Yana alone pregnant with a huge loan is a no brainer.

The second love story of Rosa who first appears very business like is sad and entertaining. It is more life story than love story and one that makes you sob.

What truly amazes is the third couple. Alik is hardly anyone's type - yelling at his wife, squalid, dignity and morals long gone and you'd think his marriage experiences lack of contentment - yet it is Alik's wife who truly amazes with the way she looks at Alik, compliments him and her love is love that makes him a better man - at the end even Alik is quite a likable character!

I just watched the 1999 Israeli film, "Ha Chaverim Shel Yana", subtitled in English as "Yana's Friends". I found it light-hearted and fun to watch, though it dealt with serious issues of marital trust and fidelity, care and respect of the elderly, and caring for each other especially in a time of war.

The film takes place in Israel immediately before and during the 1991 Gulf War, when Israelis feared Iraqi scud missile attacks. Yana (Evelyn Kaplun) is an innocent and lovable Russian immigrant to Israel and soon finds herself abandoned by her husband, who, though Yana is pregnant, returns to Russia with their money. Their roomate, Eli (Nir Levy), is an obsessive videographer who seems to have a parade of visiting women.

As scud missiles fall and people rush to their sealed rooms and gas masks, love develops in three couples. I enjoy the surprise when a film effectively combines vastly different emotions, such as humor in the immediate aftermath of tragedy in "Steel Magnolias" (1989; http://imdb.com/title/tt0098384/) or humor in the face of terrible depravation in "La Vita è bella" (English title "Life is Beautiful", 1997; http://imdb.com/title/tt0118799/). The sensual scenes in the midst of the missile attacks were a welcome and interesting - and unexpectedly believable - twist in this film.

The character development is somewhat shallow and some of the situations portrayed seem far-fetched (such as a couple who survives by posing mute and wheelchair-bound "grandpa" as a poor military veteran and abandoning him during the daytime to unwittingly beg for money), but this film has a charm that is best enjoyed, it seems to me, by not analyzing it too deeply. I'm also sure that some of the story was lost in subtitles.

I recommend this rather feel-good film, especially for the sweet charm of Yana and the bizarre connection to recent world events. Watching Yana deal with twists in her life - abandonment by her husband, surreptitious filming by her roommate, money problems - with humility and yet determination with a smile, and seeing a war through eyes swept up in love and a childish vitality for life, made it an experience that I enjoyed.

--Dilip Barman, March 29, 2004

"Yana's Friends" is an innocent story of being lost, finding love, and surviving several SCUD missile attacks. It is a multi-lingual with universal messages, which pulls from relevant moments in Tel Aviv history. "Yana" makes successful leaps and bounds, unlike most American films, by keeping our conflicts and comedy centralized while remaining focused. An old apartment building is our destination as Yana and her husband arrive with a hefty bank note in hand and a surprising "bun-in-the-oven", while macho man Eli seduces women and parties the nights away as a wedding photographer. Add to this mix a couple with a WWII veteran, a street musician, and a rusty old landlord who is about to recapture her youth, and "Yana's Friends" finally takes shape. This is a soaring skyscraper, character driven film that is part comedy, mostly drama, creatively building tension around the violence of the 1991 Gulf War. The film is simple at first, becoming complicated over time, but never forgetting its roots. It is emotional, far from the cannon of pure comedy; the lacked translation transforms it into an absurdist drama that could bring tears. "Yana's Friends" is a completely solid entry into the world of foreign films and groundling strengths, alas, it isn't perfect.

The way that "Yana's Friends" works is such, the first thirty minutes are exciting, building new characters, introducing them to their quirks and settling down, it is the second act, and the choppy third where we loose momentum and finally some steam. The dismal center of this film is important, it is needed to get character A to character B, but ultimately does it have to be so depressing? As Yana struggles with her newfound freedom, she lashes out – in an unfunny scene (though it was meant to carry some humor) she attempts to plow through the airport and board a plane she is not allowed to. It is embarrassing for our characters and for us as we see this event take shape – and it feels awkward. As she returns, she lashes out towards her friends and ultimately falls in love. Again, these scenes become ridged in nature, never quite bringing that solidarity needed for audiences to completely fall for Yana and her crew. It is the apartment owner's sudden realization that again, is cute at first, but fails to become poignant by the film's end. "Yana's Friends" boasted a solid opening, where director Arik Kaplun could spread his creativity, his originality widely, but then he rushed the end. Perhaps it is the time-frame of the film, or the inability to answer "why", but Yana just twittered from one man to the next, looking for the same thing we, as audiences, were looking for – that solid piece of art that we could hold onto.

Yet, there is a place for "Yana's Friends" within the history of cinema. This opens the door to Israeli films, a genre that I haven't explored enough, and it conquers the theme of beginning with nothing and ending with emotions stronger than any inanimate object you could own. The concept of immigration in this foreign film was intriguing to watch, to explore really, as it felt like events that could relate throughout the world. As we enter a new era of war and love, one could envision this happening anywhere – which makes "Yana's Friends" stand out. The comedy was missing, but perhaps that was just the lacking subtitles. This was a good film, just not a powerful one as the box touts. I could suggest this film to friends, perhaps I could watch it again, but it not a film to have in the collection. "Yana's Friends" delighted me to watch, but the lacking ending and trivialized characters forced it out of perfection.

Grade: *** ½ out of *****

Saw the movie on 4/12/00 as part of DC Filmfest. One of the movie actors, Mosko Alkalai(Isaac) was in attendance. The movie is 60/40% Russian/Hebrew. The subtitles were not that great - a lot of humor was lost in translation.

It's a movie with several story lines of new russian immigrants in Israel, and their struggle to keep afloat. It's mostly funny, at times sad, and always believable. The actors performances are excellent, and cinematography is a fine blend of modern styles.

I would highly recommend this movie to anyone, but these who can relate to the experience, and with a good knowledge of colloquial Russian would get an extra kick out of it.

An unexpected delight from Israel, this wonderful film is an emotional roller coaster. If you do not laugh and cry before the last frame rolls around, check if your emotions are in the `off' position. The first-time director Arik Kaplun (an Israeli from Russia) never falls into an easy trap of superficial humor and sentimental simplicity, but rises to the heights of the great film-making by developing complex character dynamics with love and deep understanding of human condition. Never shying away from the difficult and painful, the film portrays sometimes hard life of new Russian emigrants and their interactions with society. Subtly, but eloquently it shows the special bond that ties Israel together as a country, despite all the apparent confusion and bickering of ordinary life. A life affirming gem!