Maktub

Very entertaining, touching and well played. Great work!!! Well, I didn't expect anything else from Guy Amir and Hanan Savyon. Simply exceptional!

This movie is funny, serious, light, feel good. I am so glad we watched it

... other ones being "Shawshank redemption" , "Groundhog day", "midnight run", "ikiru" , "departures", "Being there" or "lilies of the field".

Although not all put in a religious setting, all those movies wrestle with the ground for a good life, in a world where "religious dogmatism" does not hod up, and/ or where the hero, initially on a trajectory ridden by self interest, reconstructs his identity along the lines of the "Christ archetype" (Taken here in an inter-faith denomination).

This includes sacrificing himself out of compassion for the other, taking responsibility for shortcomings that are not his own, and acting truthfully, in alliance with his emotion and conscience. It should be added that the particularity of this sacrifice is that it is both non-violent and life affirming.

The "Givedness of life" is the cathartic moment for the Hero in "Maktub". Grasping his newly discovered aliveness, he is able to reach out, open his hand, and bring about life, in the lives of others.

He is not the biological father, but the one through which fatherhood becomes possible. "He is not god", as he says himself. Still he will have been the very condition for generating Life in another beings, and redeeming the life, that here exists.

The film slowly draws you in until you have to know what happens next. The good deeds are heartwarming but not always connected. When you arrive at the conclusion of the film everything makes sense and it's beautiful.

I love to watch movies, no matter from which country to see how they pass their messages. The technique of story telling is so diverse and it's a pleasure to see a movie like Maktub available to us on streaming. First of all, Israeli life is harsh, but the people and the mentality is amazing. We can see a mix of mafia type good guys, after a life changing experience, become angels. You laugh with the ways they go to achieve their good deeds. The same goes for relationships , men/women, kids parents, that are brought up on this movie. Chuma and Steve are buddies for ages, you can see their are complementary on all the levels, with the smarts from Steve and the heart from Chuma. The initial scene is just full of little pearls - two goons with a great fine cuisine knowledge, really analysing the Restaurant menu .. they are goons not food critic, but that bring the comedy all along the movie. Chuma eating all the time, the whole sefarad Israelli with chilis, falafel and the best a true Marrocan style party for Boris Bar Mitzvah - with donkeys and belly dancers. Trully worth to watch, as I've already done at least 10 times and never gets old or tired to feel good after .