Year Zero

Inviting comparison to similar multi-character studies such as Magnolia, Crash, Short Cuts and Babel, Joseph Pitchhadze's Israeli Academy Award-winning Year Zero grabs and holds your attention with its vivid depiction of several Tel Aviv residents whose lives are connected by seemingly random events, including a young single mother who falls in love with an arms dealer; an ambitious radio engineer (producing an oral history about a pioneering Israeli punk band) who discovers a father he never knew he had; a woman at odds with her husband over an unplanned pregnancy; and a blind masseur. Year Zero connects all of these characters in a dramatically satisfying way that invites viewers to think about the nature of God, the cost of redemption, and the randomness of fate. Packed with fine performances, Year Zero is a well-made, thought-provoking drama that creates an enigmatic atmosphere of melancholy introspection—it's not a downbeat film, but rather one that carefully examines life's elusive mysteries. Recommended. (J. Shannon)