Holy Land

Rating:
Summary: Summary: award-winning brilliant first film by Eitan Gorlin
Review:
"The Holy land" is a coming of age story. but the protagonist, Mendy, is not just any run-of-the-mill naif. he is a rabbinical student in Tel Aviv, and the scion of a line of ultra-orthodox rabbis. his family is wonderfully wholesome, while Mendy is unbearably horny. the head rabbi at his yeshiva, noting Mendy's inability to concentrate on his studies, cites a passage in the Talmud (while denying that he is advising it) that states that a young man who visits a professional female companion will come away more focused on his religious studies.

Mendy does not need to have his arm twisted. soon he finds a strip joint, goes in, meets the charming and beautiful Sasha, and falls in love with her. through Sasha he meets Mike, a larger than life character who owns a bar in Jerusalem where stock Arab and Jewish characters seamlessly mix in a sort of bizarre version of "Cheers".

it is a timeless story about the conflict in the soul of every young adult (who has a pulse) between the idealistic pull from above to transcend our human nature, and the tug from below to experience the pleasures of the flesh precisely at that point in life when we are most able to enjoy them. having been raised as an ultra-orthodox Jew, Mendy has grown up in a culture second to none in its seriousness about avoiding the distractions of the secular world. yet, as an intelligent and sensitive young man, Mendy can't help but be elated by seeing the maps in an atlas, to give just one example of how sheltered his life had been before then.

Oren Rehany deserves an Oscar for his performance as Mendy. he wordlessly conveys more emotion with the expressions on his face than most actors can deliver in a full blown soliloquy. Tchelet Semel, as Sasha, is not just "the girl". she's a fully developed character, with youth, beauty, and a mother back in Russia who needs money to pay for heat in the winter.

and, all of this takes place against the backdrop of Jerusalem -- site of the world's longest running battle for the soul of man. so, what's the catch? the catch is that you can't dramatize the conflict between the sacred and the profane if you leave out the profane. and, if you love Israel, you may feel uncomfortable with a film that spends so much time on the dark side of life there, especially the IDF's routine treatment of Palestinians. (who wouldn't be uncomfortable seeing the warts of one's beloved displayed on the big screen?) but, if you can get beyond that, this movie is well worth seeing.


Rating:
Summary: Pleasing
Review: A little slow at some parts. HL is a charming movie on friendship, love and opposites. A really good Israeli movie.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting plot....upsetting, predictable ending....
Review: I enjoyed this little indie film. I thought it was well acted, and had an interesting plot. The first half of the movie is definitely better than the second half. The ending was predictable and disappointing. But overall, give this movie a try.

Rating:
Summary: Israeli background added interest to a rather silly story
Review: This small independent 2001 film is set in Israel in the year 2000 (before things really got bad). It's a sort-of romance about a shy rabbinical student who falls in love with a young Russian prostitute. It's a silly story but the Israeli background adds interest and perspective as the audience gets to see a view of the Holy Land which is, in reality, it's underbelly. There's a strip club in Tel Aviv where the young woman works and is exploited by her employers. There's a bar in Tel Aviv owned by a drunken American ex-patriot where Arabs, Jews and unsavory individuals from around the world congregate. There's a hint of illegal smuggling and a lot of partying including drugs and alcohol. And, generally, the story is lightweight until the conclusion, which made me think that the author had written himself into a corner and didn't know how to get out.

I rather enjoyed the concept and the scenery. Acting was good and the young actress was pretty and some of the explicit scenes were fun to watch. But even though the film was only 98 minutes long, I found myself bored and wishing it would hurry up. Even though there was a hint of intrigue and of politics, it was only for background. And, unfortunately, the romantic relationship never really rang true. And so I can only give "The Holy Land" a very lukewarm recommendation.