:
Yaël Abecassis,
Yaël Abecassis,
Uri Ran Klauzner,
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:
Amos Gitai,
Amos Gitai
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: Kino
: Drama, Foreign, Middle East, Israel
: 122 min.
: English
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Directed by Amos Gitai, Alila is based on Yehoshua Kenaz's novel Returning Lost Love and chronicles the trials and tribulations of every day life in Tel Aviv. Most of the film revolves around an apartment block on the working-class borders of Tel Aviv, where the trysts of residents Hezi (Amos Lavie) and Gabi (Yael Abecassis) attract their neighbors' attention, as does the unauthorized construction of an additional wing to the building. A neighboring family patriarch, meanwhile, is dealing with legal troubles (he hired illegal Chinese construction workers), the AWOL status of his son, and his wife's affair with a younger man. A Holocaust survivor (Yosef Carmon) and his Filipino housekeeper (Lyn Shiao Zamir) further illustrate the conflict between Jews, Jews of different extractions, and Arabs in the community. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
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| State of Dysfunction
by talltale
November 14, 2004 - 8:21 PM PST
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1 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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| Try as I might, I can't manage to work up much enthusiasm for any of Amos Gitai's full-length features. His latest to reach video, ALILA, is an ensemble piece about a group of Israelis connected via a modern and, from the looks of things, none too structurally sound apartment house in a lesser area of a major city. Gitai critiques Israel, via the past ("Kedma") and present "Kadosh" and this new film, and while there's nothing wrong with critique, in the hands of this particular filmmaker it's usually long, nattering and tiresome. Initially ALILA appears to be an improvement over earlier films but it soon succumbs to the director's worst instincts: a taste for repetition and the arbitrary. Interestingly, Gitai's contribution to the omnibus film "September 11" is much better than his longer works. Perhaps eleven-minute segments are the optimal length for this director. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 5.23)
13 Votes
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