Or (My Treasure) (2004) User Reviews

the most mesmerizing film I've seen in a long time

[matt-szy · 8/10 · 15 May 2006]

Ors mother is a recovering drug user and whore. Or takes care of herself and her mother, goes to school, washes dishes at a restaurant, recycles. Or is obsessed with cleaning. Ors mother is not good at cleaning. In fact Or worked out a house cleaning job for her mother but her mother can't hack it and would rather sneak out to work the streets. Eventually johns from the past even visit Ors mother at home. Or deals with her mothers condition at first optimistically, helping her out of her need for self deprivation, but after a while, or can't take it and stops going to school, meets more and more boys who take advantage of her inability to say no, denys the one kid who might have genuinely like her, until finally she too falls into a self destructive cycle.

This is an amazing film about the destructive life of a mother and her daughter who tries to help her but in the end cannot bare the weight of such burdensome obligations. Its hopeless and grim. All the technical aspects compliment the mood of the film. The camera takes an objective view by being completely still and having actions happen even if on the boarder of the frame. The naturalistic sound, with no music, increases a kind of uneasiness in the viewer. Furthermore, the long silences, scenes with just a few words and gestures, natural lighting, sometimes under lit, great spaces and scenery surrounding characters on screen work in a way to create a very unique world with a dense psychological complexity. We are simply viewing this world from the window director Keren Yadaya has given us.

When this film ended I was left feeling that people are parts of whole systems working continuously but constantly wearing down as time goes on. Where everything is connected, the newer and less worn parts work more efficiently for a short time, taking the work load of those in its proximity. But in the end, every part is eventually going to be overworked, and will become faulty.

Yet, despite it's rather dark message this film, and others like it, (mostly, I'm thinking Requiem for a Dream) are not meant to depress people or lead to thoughts of suicide in the dark existence we inhabit. Not at all. Instead, I think films like this are meant to show people how bad things can get, they objectively separate us as viewers from worlds where real people like the ones portrayed might exist, and as viewers we are suppose to more consciously understand the complexity of life and the characters in it. So this being the case, films like these, are odes to life, messages to insight in us living for goodness, away from darkness which the films most immediate layers transmit.

This film is not entertainment, it is art at its highest form. I'm glad I have discovered (thanks to a friend) the work of Keren Yedaya. Its artists like this who constantly reform cinema as not just mindless entertainment but truly as a powerful medium for commenting and critiquing the world around us. For that, an 8 out of 10.

Not exactly a date movie

[cadmandu · 8/10 · 5 August 2005]

Most of the other comments here about this movie are correct, but they dance around the central issue, I think. But first . . .

First: the acting here is superb. I had to remind myself I wasn't watching a documentary.

Second: the cinematography is unusual and highly effective. It's a certain style that other directors have used (some Japanese guy, for example, whose name escapes me.) Someone here describes it as minimalist, and maybe it is, but it has the effect of putting you in the scene as a sort of innocent bystander. For example, the camera does not always follow the action; rather, it is stationary and the characters pass back and forth. Sometimes they drift off screen, or almost off screen, right in the middle of a scene. In this particular case, it works to great effect. It's as if you're sitting on the couch, ignored, slightly embarrassed, taking it all in.

OK, now for the story. This is a story about sex, women, and men, in its most elemental form. Sex for money, or barter, whatever. Sex for cheap thrills. But mostly, this is about the way that men use women, and IN PARTICULAR how Israeli men relate to women. That's the crux of it, because this film was not shot in Argentina, or Kenya, or Thailand, but in the (so-called) Holy Land. 50 years after the establishment of the state of Israel, once referred to as the Moral Vacation Spot of the World, we see a society which is blatantly exploitive of women. No moral compass here. We get the landlord who cops a feel for the rent. A soldier on leave from the West Bank who demands a blow job. Drunks in the street humping an aging whore. An ex husband who couldn't care less that his former wife walks the streets. This is gritty stuff to see in the land of Jesus & Co.

So, not a fun movie -- leaves you feeling like you just took a nap on the floor of a Greyhound terminal -- but if you're up for well done realism, this is for you.

P.S. Lots of nudity, and sex, but don't expect to get turned on; it's more like watching an xxx flick from inside the porn star's head.

P.P.S. (Written much later) If you're up for another interesting look at Israeli sexuality, there's a documentary called (I think) The First Zionist Bunny. It's about how Playboy selected a host for their cable channel in Israel. Very interesting flick.

Sacrifice for no good

[stensson · 8/10 · 5 May 2005]

This is a moralizing film in the best meaning of the word. It's about the girl, who lives with her prostitute mother. The daughter in many ways are her mother's mother, all the time telling her what to do or forbidding her from doing certain things.

Everything is in vane. Then the daughter makes a sacrifice to save the mother but doesn't succeed. Now both of them are condemned instead.

Keren Yedaya is a great director. The acting is brilliant here, and the things Yedaya tries to say are obvious, but doesn't underestimate the intelligence of the audience. This is a dark movie, very dark, but it doesn't push you away. Great work!

Bleak, blunt and depressing as hell

[eyal philippsborn · 25 July 2004]

To be perfectly honest, I found it more than slightly perplexing that an Israeli film, in Hebrew, is titled in the IMDb in its French title (in Hebrew, it's titled "Or", a semi-common name meaning "light). The film received impressive accolades at Cannes festival which may explain why France is a major market for this film.

"Or" (Dana Ivgy in a mesmerizing performance) is a teenager that spends the better part of her days on taking care of her mother, Ruthie (Ronit Elkabetz in an equally gut wrenching performance). Ruthie is a recovering (with varying levels of success) drug addict and barely adequate to take care of herself, let alone, support a family. That task is entirely in Or's responsibility and her odd jobs interfere with her educational agenda (which will turn out to be the least of her worries).

What Or is deprived in parenting, she compensates by casual flings with boys who, more often than not, exploit her good nature and a need to be loved for, well, you all know what men want.

Surprisingly enough, despite the harshness of Or's existence, she is a jubilant girl with a very strong bond with her mother and even manages to conduct a border line Friendship/Romance with a pensive classmate, Ido (Nesher Cohen).

Unfortunately (read: inevitably), old demons from the past threaten to shatter the already fragile family and when dubious character's appear on Or and her mother's dilapidating apartment, aided with the outright disapproval of Ido's family to his relationship with Or, the harsh existence calls for cutting corners solutions with devastating effects (which I can't reveal).

This movie is a minimalist movie with no camera movements, no voice over and no music of any kind. I believe it was meant to intensify the experience as opposed to refining it. If that was the objective of the director, it was accomplished fully largely to its raw direction and impressive acting. An objective that was compromised (or maybe unjustly low-prioritized) was depicting a subtle portrait of Or.

Subtlety is very rare commodity in this film. Extensive nudity, graphic sex scenes and other scenes that don't leave anything for imagination turn the already hard to absorb feature into a film that is profoundly gut wrenching but emotionally too disturbing to be enjoyed.

I should note, in the name of objectivity, that the extremely explicit nature of this film (a disturbing trait many Israeli films still hone) might not deter people with a less conservative standpoint than my own but even those of you who are less troubled by nudity, sex and blunt content in general, should expect a very difficult film to watch and for the privilege of a film pondered on long after the screening ends, one must prepare to pay for with a very unnerving viewing.

8 out of 10 in my FilmOmeter.

strong social and moral comment, unequal film creation

[dromasca · 7/10 · 29 July 2006]

'Or' means in Hebrew 'light' and may be both a feminine or masculine name. The name is the symbol of what the main character apparently is - a luminous teenager having to deal with a life of privation in today's Israel, taking care of with her prostitute mother and trying to keep her away of the streets, going to school and working in the evenings and having a teen affair with the boy in the neighbors. However, life is not simple for director Keren Yedaya's characters, with the society around keeping them not only at their economic level, but also defining by birth or genetics the moral path of their lives. In the director's view the guilt is however not only with the society but also with the characters themselves, who are not able to draw enough internal power to overcome and break the borders of their condition. It is a social but also a moral comment.

The film belongs to the wave of somehow supported but still low cost wave of production in the Israeli cinema in the last few years, which gave a few more at least interesting and promising productions. Although the subject is interesting and the story has logic and emotion, there are two principal flaws in the production. One is the too obvious and programmatic approach, which kind of pushes the viewer to the director's views rather than letting him develop his or her own feelings abut the story and the situations. The second is the length, there are too many dead moments where it looks like there is nothing to be said, takes where 15 seconds would be enough but the director is spending 50. Still, the film is wonderfully acted by Dana Ivgy and Ronit Elkabetz and the atmosphere of the less privileged Israel is very well caught. A film to watch.

outstanding in its simplicity

[Butterfl · 10/10 · 9 March 2005]

Get ready for a raw, gritty look at prostitution and how some end up there. While the plot is uncomplicated, the film is unrelenting -- you won't crack so much as a smile; no humor whatsoever here. The story of a prostitute and her teenage daughter is powerfully told. The daughter, predictably, runs the household and has to mother the hopelessly irresponsible mother. They barely get by with the help of the neighbors, who are also the owners of a diner where the daughter works part-time. It's a slice-of-life drama that, while it takes place in Israel, could easily take place anywhere where low expectations meet low self-esteem. Be warned: It doesn't leave you upon leaving the theater.

Disappointing

[yardenush · 7/10 · 6 August 2004]

With all the buzz surrounding this movie, I can't help it - I was very disappointing. The film never manages to escape it's clicheesque story line, and as a viewer, it never drew me in. The acting is superb, as expected from Elkabetz and Ivgi, and the point where the two characters merge in mesmerizing. However, the drastic change in Ivgi's character, from strength and independence one second, to utter collapse (into the cliché) was utterly unnatural in my humble opinion. In addition, there were some characters which meant a lot to the heroines, but we never exactly understood the nature of the relationship (Avi).

And to top it all off, the final scene - the cementing of the tragic ending - accompanied by happy, jumpy trance music.

A film about elements which disturb the peace and quiet of human soul.

[FilmCriticLalitRao · 10/10 · 9 February 2009]

There is a general impression in the minds of cinema goers that films about the taboo topic of prostitution are either too dark or to light. Most of the dark films about prostitution are known to have a sort of documentary touch to them whereas light films about prostitution invariably carry the hackneyed "all prostitutes are beautiful and they have a heart of gold" kind of message.For example: Irma La Douce directed by Billy Wilder and Never on Sunday directed by Jules Dassin. It is not so often that a different kind of film is made which can do justice to the depiction of this disturbing theme.Most of the films about prostitution need to have all the right ingredients in order to carry the proper message to viewers.This film by Keren Yedaya called "Or" is a unique film in the history of Israelian cinema.It is for the first time that the absurdist theme of prostitution has been boldly shown especially in the context of evils which disturb the human mind,body and soul.The film is a success as it depicts that the act of prostitution is a modern day evil which is closely associated with other roguish facets of modern age such as crime and drugs.Or can also be read as a sad tale of an irresponsible mother who is unable to take proper care of her daughter.The bizarre thing about this film is that towards its end the evil practice of prostitution is accepted by a person who was single handedly waging a fierce as well as a heroic battle against it.This is a hint to state that there is no possible end to the vicious circle of evil as circumstances even force a strong willed person to be a part of it.

Bleak, realistic, moving

[jbkishkushim · 10/10 · 22 December 2006]

Great movie. Shows the maturity of Israeli cinema. If you're looking for a happy ending or Hollywood romance, don't bother watching this film. If you are looking for something deeper than that, you'll be fascinated throughout the movie. It's difficult to watch, but it's not difficult to follow. The director keeps your attention throughout the film. Veteran Israeli actor Ivgy's daughter is amazing in the role of Or, the daughter of a prostitute, played by the superb Ronit Alqabetz. Look out for Alqabetz in other great Israeli movies, like Late Marriage ("Mariage Tardif" in French). This is stark realism at its best. The moral message is powerful, but nuanced. Ruthie (the mother) comes across very much as much a victim of her own choices.

When prostitutes are people

[professor_noray · 9/10 · 10 October 2005]

A story about people, women, which strikes at the heart. A tale which explores the life of a prostitute, and her daughter destined to follow along her path. A camera which skirts around the bodies of the characters. A vision that is intimate, yet distant, non-judgmental. The wasting away of the female flesh, and the reflection of the daughter in the mother, the mother in the daughter. How hopes and dreams begin to whither in the face of circumstance, and how difficult day to day life can be. A beautiful film which elegantly avoid the banalities and triteness of any political statement, yet explores a subject which is inherently political. A must-see if nothing more than for the skillful and intelligent camera.

disturbingly effective

[fromvertical · 8/10 · 29 June 2005]

Or adeptly portrays the subjugation of both men and women to a misogynist culture, exposing the entrapment of violation and the many marks it leaves on women's bodies, the compulsion to move toward further violence, and men's complicity in this degradation of the body -- their own and women's. An heir to the works of important feminist thinkers (Andrea Dworkin, Susan Griffin, Adrienne Rich), this film pulls the viewer gently into an unabsorbable tirade and presents the question of the futility of human relations. Suffocating and bleak, set against an otherwise fairly banal landscape (and herein lies its strength), it doesn't shirk from exposing the underlay of the socially sanctioned pathology of male sexuality. In its insistent questioning, the film takes the viewer deep into the unresolvable, avoiding easy answers. The problem presented is devastating and Yedaya commits the viewer to sitting with their own unease, to touch, as it were, the very body of the film and face their own complicity in this unpardonable scheme.

Brilliant-not to be missed

[momentfilms-1 · 28 August 2005]

Just saw this movie and I was very moved by it. Like most foreign films, it will require the viewer to work a little bit, and be patient as the story develops, but you won't have to work at caring about the title character, Or. She's a normal girl mostly raising herself in a tiny apartment with a mother who would rather sell her body than get up in the morning to go to a normal job, (which her daughter has to find for her). But the filmmaker makes you care, somehow, even about the mother. Maybe it's because these are real characters, not caricatures, and there isn't a hip soundtrack for the audience to numb itself to half the time. In fact, there is absolutely no music in the film, that is until the final, fateful shot. You will ask yourself during the movie why a beautiful, bright girl with enormous potential would follow her mother into a thankless life of prostitution, but by the end of the film you will begin to understand that it is her perception of her potential that leads her to this end, and it will make you think. Find this movie, and encourage others to discover it's importance. You won't be disappointed.

True art form, powerful, confident, socially important and brutally honest

[zoey_m1 · 10/10 · 17 February 2007]

Or is probably one of my top tree favourite films ever made. When I first saw it in a theatre in Tel Aviv, I was blown away by its' sheer honesty and humanity. The last scene of Or sitting on the bed, knowing that her life won't ever be the same again, fully aware of her consequences, yet still forcing her self to block a part of her soul for the sake of her mom, stayed in my head for more than a month later after viewing it for the first time.

I think the most appealing thing for me about this film is how personal it is. There's nothing from the outside world that taints its' creativity and its' political, personal, social and artistic intentions. This is art in its purest form, made to touch, change, and to give life to the viewer.

Aside from the engaging, brutally honest and socially important story, the film shines with intelligence. Be it through the perfectly thought- out script, which shows each scene with tenderness, slowly and poetically moving through locations and faces, not over feeding us with information, relying on the viewers emotional intelligence and understanding to have their own interpretation on the characters' arcs, turning point and internal journey.

Be it through the absolutely beautiful cinematography. The shots, colours and angles bring so much more to the story than just visualizing it. The cinematography in Or goes hand in hand with the characters internal journey. The shots are very emotionally expressive and each angle in each scene was planned out carefully to make us feel like we are a part of their world. A lot of the shots were made in one take and seem much documented. We follow our characters in their most vulnerable spots, yet never feel the need to judge them, we are right there with them, compassionately understanding every desperate step they take.

The acting job of the two is highly humane and charismatic, the lead actresses gave one of the most realistic and emotionally involved acting job I've ever seen on screen. The actresses literally give their soul to the part, so much, that in parts we tend to forget this is an actual feature film and not a documentary on prostitution. The actresses' physical and emotional involvement with their characters' story is what gives more spark to the sincerity of the film, we can sense the confidence and trust between everyone who made this, this is what touches me the most.

And finally, through the message. Political and social involvement plays a very big role in the director, Keren Yedaya's life. She is a feminist who fights for human rights and against the Palestinian occupation in Israel. There's nothing pretty or sugar coated about this film, something that is very authentic to the Israeli society. The films' message presented in a very raw and not formatted way, simplicity plays a big role here. Keren's art comes from her political and personal ideals, something that I highly respect in any art form, and we can sense through the film that she had her reasons for making it, she has her reasons for the "ugliness" of it.

For Israel specifically, this film is highly important. For the world in general this film is also very eye opening. Here the story is about something that is important both to Israel and the world, the terrible world of prostitution, a form of slavery that society chooses to suppress.

I hope this film did cause some sort of change in people's minds. It sure shook me for the better and the people around me that have seen it. I think it's a highly inspiring, intelligent, emotionally aware, artistic, honest and non judgmental film that I would suggest anyone that is interested in any form art, politics, culture etc to get a hold of this film. For me, it definitely stands up there with the best creations ever made and I can't wait to watch Keren Yedaya's next film.

Zoey

punch at your face, but don't think even not to see it

[yanivli · 10/10 · 1 October 2004]

Go to this movie if you prepare yourself to get punches at your face, but don't think, even, not to see it. All the characters in the movie are good, poor in their capacity to change their world and life direction. The mother, neighbors, teachers,the men who get services from the two women: all of them aren't bad at all, but poor, hardworking persons who stop trying to change this sad and hearting life. You wouldn't hear a scream (except once from the mother but you don't see her at the frame)or rage, or hating from those suffering people. The movie is very quiet and the camera is standing still all the long shots. I believe that the directer try (and succeeded very much)to do a very realistic and naturalistic movie. Don't miss it

Role-reversal as teen parents mom.

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 10 February 2009]

I first saw Ronit Elkabetz in The Band's Visit, and then in Late Marriage. She was fantastic in both and really captivated me. I am so glad I saw her in films where she was appealing before I saw this. Here, she is an aging, drug-addicted prostitute, who is being cared for by her teen daughter Or (Dana Ivgy). It is classic role reversal, and it is not very pretty.

It means Or works late at night, collects anything that can be sold, and cares for her mother like she was a child. All to keep her off the streets. School becomes a hit or miss thing as she spends time collecting bottles. It is a day-to-day battle.

While Or is trying to save her mother she is being used as a sexual receptacle by everyone. She finally ends up getting paid for it rather than just giving it away. All to no avail as her mother continues to hit the streets.

Ivgy and Elkabetz were outstanding in this sad slice of life.

Like "Nobody Knows," this is another powerful and realistic drama where the daughter is forced to be the parent ... until her teenage urges take over!

[SONNYK_USA · 4 September 2005]

Amazingly realistic story that starts out as a grim but heartening story of a young girl's attempt to reform her lazy mother. Having just left the hospital, 'Ruthie' wiggles into her hot pants and prepares to go back to turning tricks no the street.

Ruthie is too old to get a job in a proper brothel and her street customers frequently give her physical violence in lieu of a tip. These are more than enough reasons for teen daughter 'Or' to step and 'play' parent by locking her mother inside the apartment and forcing to start a new job as a cleaning lady.

Both actresses give compelling performances but the more 'Or' does for Ruthie the more she realizes that the 'apple doesn't fall far from the tree' in terms of seeing the opportunities that prostitution offers a young woman working as a pot scrubber in a restaurant.

This is not a formula movie like "thirteen" and has both humor and poignancy galore. Check it out!!!