Gmar Gavi'a

English Title: Cup Final

Eran Riklis, Israel, 1991, imdb

Review: 1.5 Uchuvas
Comment: So, I had another go with this director and it was deeply dissapointed. Let's say that he got better with age! There is no way to compare either The Syrian Bride (2004) and Lemon Tree (2008)with this film! I will only say that during the film I took plenty of time to find and kill a mosquito flying around my room without stoping the film.

Etz Limon

English Title: Lemon Tree

Eran Riklis, Israel+France+Germany, 2008, imdb

Review: 4.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's been a while since my last post and I'm glad I'm back with this beautiful film.  I passed by a theater and saw a poster of an Israel film with an actress I knew so I just decided to have a go and see what was about.  After I saw the film I realized that it's the same director of the other film I liked a lot: The Syrian Bride.  What I like the most is the softness of the film with such a tough subject. It's very nice how the director mixed the complex political subject with complex relationships. 

The Syrian Bride

English Title: The Syrian Bride

Eran Riklis,France-Germany-Israel,2004, imdb

Review: 5.0 Uchuvas
Comment: It's an amazing film!!! It really is aaaaaamazing! When I saw the film I didn't know very much about the conflicts around the area where the film is set: The Golan Heights. It was "undisputed Syrian territory until Israel captured the region on 9-10 June 1967 during the Six-Day War..." (whole story here). Apparently when Israel took the region, a lot of Syrian families got stuck in their own territory; Israelis didn't allow the Syrians, that were living in the taken territory, to leave unless it was for good. DO NOT WORRY... This is not the plot of the film!! not at all....it's just that I'd have loved to know this before watching the film!!! The photography is great and the actors soo good! It's a great combination of history, drama, comedy and surrealism (for the situation itself). Great film! Have a look!