Hatuna MeNiyar

Writer/Director Nitzan Gilady's charming film Wedding Doll won audiences over at the Jerusalem Film Festival and the Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars), taking home the top honors of 'Best Actress' and 'Best Film', respectively, among others. Today, the festival favorite will hit screens stateside and is sure to attract American audiences with rising star Moran Rosenblatt's phenomenal performance of a mildly handicapped woman who wants to fall in love.

25-year-old Hagit (Rosenblatt) dreams of her wedding day, anticipating the moment she will put on the iconic white dress that she's become obsessed with- magazine cutouts of gowns and brides cover her bedroom walls like boy band posters from the 90's. However, Hagit doesn't realize her fairy tale romance may never come to fruition because of her mild mental handicap, making her dependent on her mother's help for many everyday tasks. When she is not under constant supervision of her mother Sara (Assi Levy), Hagit works in a small factory manufacturing and assembling toilet paper packages and makes little wedding dolls out of toilet paper to pass the time. She has become infatuated with her boss's son Omri (Roy Assaf), who happens to be the only other person working at the factory. They strike up a friendship, but she perceives it is much more. When the factory realizes it needs to shut it's doors for good, Hagit's desire for independence and quest to find true love is pushed further than she may be capable of understanding.

Rosenblatt embodies Hagit with such detail, nailing every quirky trait no matter how small. Her reactions to being called 'weirdo' and 'goofy' are understated, but we see the sharp pangs of pain etched on her face. But this isn't just Hagit's story, it is as much that of her mother, Sara, as we see her struggle to keep a job as a hotel housekeeper, as well as the relentless responsibility of being Hagit's sole parental guardian while trying to also have a love life. Sara attempts to do all three, but as a result of biting off more than she can chew, does none of them well. Assi Levy plays Sara with the necessary confidence to allow audiences to trust her choices, yet with a strain of vulnerability that evokes sympathy for her.

Not only does Wedding Doll nail the performances, the cinematography is just as engaging. Set in the desert on the outskirts of the city, the aesthetic is rich in color and incorporates various textures as well; the abundance of stone, tile, water, and paper make for a pallet any artist would envy.

Wedding Doll runs at a swift 80 minutes and thankfully, never feels rushed. Every scene is engaging and there is purpose and value in every moment. Gilady has managed to trim the fat and delivers a sleek and concise coming-of-age love story that is far more unique than others of recent production.

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This Israeli film contains some excellent natural acting from its cast, but the movie itself can be pervasively sad, even cruel at times. It centers on a mentally challenged young woman Hagit (Moran Rosenblatt), who works at a small family owned toilet paper factory.

She dreams of one day marrying the owner's son Omri (Roy Assaf), even making numerous small dolls of brides from toilet paper. She struggles to function independently, while her mother Sara (Assi Levy) tries to protect her and not have her institutionalized, while striving to live some kind of a life of her own.

Overall,this movie, written and directed by Nitzan Gilady, has, as mentioned, strong believable acting and wonderful cinematography, but the story itself was way too much of a downer for me.

"Wedding Doll" is as well made film with some really good acting-- particularly by the leading lady, Moran Rosenblatt. However, this Israeli movie also was incredibly depressing and I might characterize it as 'the feel-bad movie of the year'...and how many folks want to see a film that leaves them this depressed?!

This story is about a lady in her early 20s named Hagit (Rosenblatt) who works at a small toilet paper factory. She is cognitively challenged and functions almost like a child. But despite her intellectual difficulties, she also is a pretty young woman with the same emotional and physical needs as anyone else. She longs to get married and even design her own wedding gown but there are so many problems with this. The co-worker she is carrying on with on the sly might just be using her. As the film progresses, he seems less and less interested in marrying her...just making out with Hagit. Hagit also is a bit delusional and often sees life the way she wants it to be instead of how it really is...and throughout the film she keeps convincing herself that things will work out perfectly for her. She also convinces herself she is going to be a famous dress designer but her skills are quite limited. Throughout the picture, however, Hagit's mother is almost always nearby--sacrificing her own needs in order to look after her daughter and protect her from harm as best she can. But Hagit is clever and manages to hide the boyfriend through much of the film. Where all this ends up is pretty realistic...but also an incredible downer.

In many ways, "Wedding Doll" is very similar to the American film "Benny & Joon"...but without the comedy, clever and compassionate boyfriend and happy ending. It's an interesting character study and has apparently won many awards in its home country...but I really must admit that despite being well made, I didn't enjoy the film in the least and it's a movie for select audiences.