The main character of Nitzan Gilady’s Wedding Doll is a common character archetype, but one that’s rarely given the opportunity to be a lead, and even more rarely placed into a potential romance. Hagit (Moran Rosenblatt) is a young woman living in Israel with a mild mental illness that makes her appear slightly askew to those around her.
Hagit smiles a little too often, slightly stumbles over her words, and just appears a little bit too friendly to those around her. It’s not hard to imagine a version of this movie that plays out like Lucky McKee’s May instead of a romantic comedy sprinkled with social commentary.
It’s not just Hagit’s manner, but her pet habits that cement her reputation as an eccentric in the community. Her room is adorned with a wall of women in wedding dresses, and she spends much of her...
Hagit smiles a little too often, slightly stumbles over her words, and just appears a little bit too friendly to those around her. It’s not hard to imagine a version of this movie that plays out like Lucky McKee’s May instead of a romantic comedy sprinkled with social commentary.
It’s not just Hagit’s manner, but her pet habits that cement her reputation as an eccentric in the community. Her room is adorned with a wall of women in wedding dresses, and she spends much of her...
- 4/8/2016
- by Michael Snydel
- The Film Stage
★★★★☆ Nitzan Giladi's fantastic debut feature Wedding Doll (2015), premièring at Toronto this year, is the second Israeli film in as many years to focus on the difficult relationship between a young woman with a mental disability and the family member living with and caring for her. Where Asaf Korman's Next To Her (2014) mined the more unsettling recesses of a co-dependent relationship, Giladi has chosen to make a film all about the quest for independence. Of course, that is difficult in modern society when learning difficulties of any kind still come laden with all manner of stigma. "Weirdo!" is the cry of a young boy as Hagit (Moran Rosenblatt) revels in the sunrise.
Giladi's script does an impressive job of excavating the spectrum of different prejudices buried beneath the surface. These do not just come in the form of overt nastiness, but subtle put-downs and mistrust even from those who...
Giladi's script does an impressive job of excavating the spectrum of different prejudices buried beneath the surface. These do not just come in the form of overt nastiness, but subtle put-downs and mistrust even from those who...
- 9/10/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
★★★☆☆ No stranger to the Venice Lido, Amos Gitai's new film Ana Arabia (2013) - in competition this year - is a quiet exploration of love and tolerance in Israel. On the border between Jaffa and Bat Jam exists a small dusty enclave of Arabs and Jews. A young reporter, Yael (Yuval Scharf), arrives to question the inhabitants about a recently deceased resident, a Jewish woman who survived Auschwitz as a child and subsequently fled to Israel where she married an Arab and converted to Islam. Yael interviews her husband, Yussuf (Yussuf Abu-Warda), his daughter Miriam (Sarah Adler) and daughter-in-law Sarah (Assi Levy).
Everyone seem happy to tell Yael their stories and muse on the meaning of them, as well as occasionally having neighbours butt in to joke and/or flirt with the pretty journalist (or just to exchange gossip). The one outstanding feature of Gitai's Ana Arabia is that it...
Everyone seem happy to tell Yael their stories and muse on the meaning of them, as well as occasionally having neighbours butt in to joke and/or flirt with the pretty journalist (or just to exchange gossip). The one outstanding feature of Gitai's Ana Arabia is that it...
- 9/7/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.