The Cakemaker

A magnificent film. for the precise manner to build the emotions. for the art of detail. for impeccable performances. for gestures, silence and the breath of words. a film mixing in splendid manner the grace, the sensitivity, the clash of civilisations and the love stories. a graceful film. like the taste of a slice of Black Forest cake or the taste of cinnamon cookies. for me it was a revelation. because it is more than a good/beautiful film. it is more than a complex and almost mystic love story. it is more than a masterpiece. it is exactly the film who you need it.Sarah Adler , givind the salted gestures, words and emotions of her character. Tim Kalkhof creating a character of Romanticism in pure sense. the cooking becoming sensual and magic. all being absolutely perfect. delicate. convincing. and the package for the best gift. short, a graceful film.

Tim Kalkhof is such a great actor. Just by looking at his look and the expression on his face you can understand his deep feelings. Excellent movie.

This first feature from Israeli director Ofir Raul Graizer has been picking up prizes around the world. It's easy to see why. The story of a young German pastry chef who makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and inveigles his way into the life of his male lover's widow without revealing his identity is beautifully told and although tragic ultimately satisfying. At the London Film Festival, where the film was nominated for the Sutherland prize, Graizer revealed that he developed the story from one he'd heard. Each scene is simply but expertly shot and the overall effect is profoundly moving. The Israeli cast, particularly Sarah Adler as the widow, is as good as we've come to expect from this country's actors; but Tim Kalkhof as the boy - quiet melancholy masking a huge depth of emotion - is superb. An award for this role must be on the cards.The couple's sex scene in a kitchen, covered in only two takes, is electrifying. Along the way Graizer also deals with the mysteries of kosher rituals, while the food preparation becomes almost hypnotic. One expects the impossible situation that develops to be unresolvable and for the film to stop abruptly. But there is a suggestion of a happy ending. The characters are so well drawn that this is a film that will stay with you long after the final fade.

"The Cakemaker" is a gentle, sad film about a young German man who becomes infatuated with his deceased male lover and travels to Israel to be close to the lover's widow and child. He gets a job at a cafe run by the widow and the two of them strike up an uneasy romance of sorts -- both of them use the other as a proxy for the man who's no longer in either of their lives. Within this complicated emotional scenario, the film explores themes of cultural and religious prejudice and intolerance -- the German man has to overcome animosity and assumptions made about him by some of the Israeli characters while the widow has to contend with a different sort of prejudice because she's not religious and isn't "kosher" enough for some.

It's a very quiet and thoughtful film, and I really enjoyed its gentle rhythms. It's very much about grief and the human instinct to find people and things to keep alive the memories of those we've lost.

Grade: A-

This is the first jewish film I've seen, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by it. It is very well crafted, acted, directed and written.

Altough sometimes it is quite slow, the script is very good, melancholic and above all, real. The main confflict shows us kind of a love triangle that we have never seen before; a situation that is so strong that when you start thinking about it during the end credits of the movie, it's like "God, how the hell could this even happen at all?"

One of the things I liked the most about this film was the soundtrack. It is simple and beautiful and it always entered at the right time, giving it a more dramatic atmosphere during the scene. This, along with the excellent photography, made a great combination that makes you feel what the characters feel thanks to the very personal shots it has.

And obviously, the acting doesn't stay behind. The performances by the main protagonists were great and truly convincing; I liked a lot the job of the main protagonist, there was even a moment at the movie were I thought that his performance didn't look as a performance anymore. It looked as if he was living it rather than acting it. And that is something that every actor must do all the time.

Overall, it is totally worth to watch if you're someone that appreciates stories that make you think and engage with them from beggining to end.

Thanks for reading!