A simple but powerful Israeli film, Raphaël Nadjari's Avanim focuses on Michale (Assi Levy), a Yemeni wife and mother trapped in a confining marriage, who finds some comfort in a secret love affair. Michale, who works in her father's accounting office, fights with him over his involvement in an ultra-orthodox religious group's scam to fleece the government. These twin narrative strands converge when Michale's lover dies in a suicide bombing and the emotionally shattered woman responds by leaving her husband and revealing her father's machinations to the authorities. Eventually, Michale and her son take refuge with his compassionate teacher Nehama (Florence Bloch), but before long both women find themselves threatened because of Michale's whistle-blowing. Although Avanim (the title of the film refers to stones placed on graves, a symbol of grief but also of possible reconciliation) obviously decries the forced dependence of women in rigidly religious communities, the film also ultimately holds out a fragile hope that Michale may face a better future. Spare and gritty (shot in a style reminiscent of the Dogme auteurs such as Lars von Trier), this hard-hitting drama is recommended. (F. Swietek)
Avanim (Stones)
SISU, 109 min., in Hebrew w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $34.95 Volume 23, Issue 6
Avanim (Stones)
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