Set in Tel Aviv, New Israeli Film ‘Jellyfish’ Shines With Virtue, Veracity

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:34:26 -0700

CHICAGO – It has been a banner year so far for the Israeli film industry. Following the American debuts of “The Band’s Visit” and “Beaufort,” 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.

View our full “Jellyfish” image gallery.

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.

Israeli Directorial Debut ‘The Band’s Visit’ Built on Series of Bittersweet, Exquisite Moments

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:11:50 -0700

CHICAGO – When we speak of conflicts between people or ideologies, there’s a tendency for broad categorization. Who are the liberals or the conservatives? What type of people make up the Israelis or Palestinians? Who are the people of color and who are white?

These lines are becoming blurred, and underneath it all, it boils down to familiar humanity. Who’s going to reach out to demonstrate that? Perhaps writer and director Eran Kolirin in his brilliant Israeli film debut “The Band’s Visit”.

The story centers around a band of Egyptian police musicians in absurd matching blue uniforms anchored by longtime conductor Tawfiq (Sasson Gabai). When they are invited to the opening of an Arab center in Israel, an errant bus ride from the airport gets them lost in a small desert town.

Click here to read Patrick McDonald’s full review
of “The Band’s Visit” in our reviews section!

Click here for our full “The Band’s Visit” image gallery!

“The Band’s Visit”
Photo credit: IMDb

The Band's Visit

Set in Tel Aviv, New Israeli Film ‘Jellyfish’ Shines With Virtue, Veracity

Israeli Directorial Debut ‘The Band’s Visit’ Built on Series of Bittersweet, Exquisite Moments