Jaffa

Summary: A Jewish girl, Mali Wolf (Dana Ivgy) is in love with an Arab boy that works for her father's mechanic garage. Their courtship is a secret and there is clear tension between her brother Meir and the boy Toufik and Meir and her parents. The mother (Ronit Elkabetz) and father (Moni Moshonov) have differing views on Arabs in general and the movie is how a family copes or divides as life happens.

Review: Dana Ivgy plays a very solid role as a young girl in distress to a divided woman. The acting was great and it was kind of amazing to see how the characters changed throughout the movie. Elkabetz really showcased some of her talents as a strong woman with strong opinions despite all the beauty. The division of a family can also be analogous to bigger events in the world. The music and cinematography were excellent. The plot seemed mundane enough, but developed richly. The film does leave a lot unresolved, but it leaves enough subtle hints to where the viewer should be able to decide what will happen next for themselves. There were also few light moments in the film despite being a love tale, but it was a tragic love story.

Further Question/Theme/Philosophy: How do most Israeli citizens live as the main character seems to skate by life without detailing her family's finances? Can there ever be forgiveness or redemption? Aren't we all slaves to the fickleness that destiny or fate always seems to have "happen" to us.

Power Rating (Out of 5): 5 I was debating giving either a 4 or 5 because it was just such a compelling watch. The human elements involved in the movie made it too good to fault for a premise that I would consider mundane, but that is what made the movie beautiful. It was well made, well acted, and it managed to turn a mundane story into a very well executed film. Films like this on the Palestinian and Israeli question make me appreciate the simplicity of my life when the fact is that question's complications should also be very simple. The film reminds me of her tragic life is, but it is what we think of it at the end of the day. It can always be worse, and some fleeting moments in life make it all seem worth it.