In this black-and-white, letter-boxed film set in a 1930's Polish shtetl, we meet Abraham, a rambunctious Jewish adolescent, and his best friend Ivan, a teenage Christian. As religious and political tensions mount, and centuries-old prejudices resurface, the two boys run away, followed by Abraham's sister Rachel and her lover Aaron, a Communist outlaw. Because it won the Camera d'Or (Best First Film) at the Cannes festival and is so beautifully photographed, I wanted desperately to like this movie. Director/screenwriter Yolande Zauberman has inexplicably chosen to "Ingmar Bergmanize" his story, leaving us with a muddled tale of characters with whom we don't bond, and who we suspect probably symbolize things like "death" or "impending doom." Many dramatic moments are lost to Zauberman's artistic vision. An optional purchase. (K. Glaser)
Ivan & Abraham
(New Yorker, 105 min., in Yiddish, Polish, Russian, and Gypsy w/English subtitles, not rated, avail. May 20) Vol. 12, Issue 3
Ivan & Abraham
Star Ratings
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