CHICAGO – It has been a banner year so far for the Israeli film industry. Following the American debuts of “The Band’s Visit [1]” and “Beaufort [2],” we now have the stunningly composed and heart-rending “Jellyfish”.

Unwinding like a Tel Aviv version of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia” – but warmer – “Jellyfish” follows several lives steeped in moral crisis and offers redemption like an elusive brass ring.

Read Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Jellyfish” in our reviews section. [3] View our full “Jellyfish” image gallery. [4]

An underachieving wedding waitress with career and mother issues searches for answers while staring at the sea. An unusual 5-year-old child approaches her in a bathing suit and life-preserver ring.

Since the little girl seems separated from her parents and circumstances, she adopts the other lost soul as her temporary guardian.

Meanwhile, a wedding that the waitress was working at has gone wrong after the reception. The bride suffers a broken leg, which forces honeymoon plans to be moved to a tacky Tel Aviv hotel nearby.

Anxious and bored, the groom begins a friendship with a woman – a resident of the hotel – who seems to be a writer.

Nikol Leidman as the mysterious girl who emerges from the sea in “Jellyfish,” which is a film by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen. Photo credit: Zeitgeist Films

Noa Knoller as Keren in “Jellyfish,” which is a film by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen. Photo credit: Zeitgeist Films

Read Patrick McDonald’s full “Jellyfish” review. [5]