Avanim

Avanim is a powerful movie. At first glance it's about a married Israeli woman (Michale) living in a Yemeni religious environment who has a furtive affair with a man and is at odds with her father-and-boss and his unlawful activities that favor the financial interests of this religious community. Her lover dies in a suicide attack (we happen to know furtively too), but tears, grief and mourning is impossible. Nonetheless she'll manage to make something of that impossibility and the brewing family crisis: leave her husband eat the shabbat jachnun on his own, take her son, and change her life (we can imagine). At second glance it's the universal tragedy of a woman who tries to liberate from male coercion and a stringent religious community that has difficulties playing by the laws governing a democratic country. Also it's an optimistic story as it shows a multi-layered suffering fueling, not depression, but a dramatic change in destiny. The tempo and sound-track make us quasi insiders of all characters: prolonged shots of religious rituals and cooking alternate with brisk and allusive scenes.

A profound, subtle movie, Avanim (Stones in Hebrew) follows the coming of age of an Israeli woman today. Locked into a bland marriage, a stifling relationship with her father and a relentless daily routine - as much as she is locked into herself - she makes a U-turn when faced with death and corruption. A loving, intelligent and uncompromising account, which doesn't let you generalize or over simplify on anything, be it Israel, religion, tradition, Sephardi Jews or modern women. The heroin's stubborn silence and hurried pace in the city, the kindergarten teacher's womanly empathy, the old rabbi's gentleness and humbleness all make for unforgettable characters. Stunning performances at all level inlaid with haunting sober cello music, Nadjari's stone is a dark gem!

Avanim is an important film that explores the struggle of one woman trying to focus on her own life while surrounded by the agendas of those around her.

Asi Levy, in her European Film Award-nominated role, delivers one of the best performances of the year. Avanim is a finely nuanced film that tries to question a complex world through genuine truth and understanding. Brilliantly paced and with minute attention to detail, this film reaffirms Raphael Nadjari's place among the new great filmmakers who have so much to offer the language of cinema.

Do not miss this film, though it may be hard to find in your area, this is a revelation of the human condition.

The clash between a modern, secular woman's desire for independence and her ties to the Rabbinical establishment that wants to dominate her life is the main theme of Avanim, a powerful French/Israeli drama by Raphael Nadjari. Set in the Hatikva district of Tel Aviv, Michale (Asi Levi) fulfills the roles expected of her. She is a dutiful wife, mother to a bright five-year old son, and loyal worker in her father's accounting firm. We know that things are not all right, however, when we see her having an afternoon affair with a lover, of whom we know next to nothing. Shooting in a close-up, intimate style with a hand-held camera and improvisational acting, we follow Michale going through the routine of her existence, mostly in moody silence, bringing her boy to a pre-school, being late in picking him up, and wearily greeting her husband late in the evening.

Her Sephardic husband Shmoulik (Danny Steg), a building contractor, is a burly, decent fellow but does not seem to provide the emotional gratification Michale is seeking. Her life becomes more tightly wound when she discovers her father's (Uri Gabriel) complicity in a scheme to pad the number of students to attract money from the government for the construction of a new Yeshiva. When her lover is killed in a suicide bombing, however, long stifled emotions come to the surface and she is forced to deal with the conflicts of her life in an uncompromising manner..

There are no entirely sympathetic characters in Avanim. The father is wearing ethical blinders and the husband seems unconscious of his wife's emotional needs. While Michale is more sympathetic, she rebels in covert ways without openly communicating her feelings to her family or considering the emotional consequences of her behavior for her son. For example, she stays out all night without telling anyone where she is while her husband and father are understandably frantic. While Asi Levi delivers a strong performance as the restless, dissatisfied housewife, the script never crystallizes the issues and, in spite of a melodramatic ending, lacks an emotional payoff.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, hot rocks just like the Stones album... Avanim (stones) infiltrates every pore of your body as you start to understand the life of women in Israel. The characters (especially the mysteriously feisty Assi Levy) unravel, the stones heat up, and you can just soak it all up. This is a slow movie which is NOT commercial mish mash - you have to work at it, and you will certainly feel uneasy during a major part of the film, but boy is it worth it...

PS The israelo-palestinian conflict is not ignored in the film, and is brilliantly portrayed (and no I am not Muslim nor Jewish).

My oh my, more from director Nadjari please !!