Former actor and first-time director Maria Schrader has conquered a challenging task in bringing the best-selling novel of Israeli writer Zeruya Shalev successfully to the screen. The frequently occurring question of how to transfer the inner and intimate thoughts of a protagonist into actions and moving images, Maria Schrader has answered with an outstanding portion of self-confidence and craftsmanship. A strong cast altogether, lead by Israelian theatre actress Netta Garti and Rade Sherbedgia as the leads is guided by a safe hand of the directrice and her German cameraman Benedict Neuenfels, who manages to paint a fine contrast of the barren landscapes of Israel against the nicely observed interiours of contemporary Jewish living in the city. It is their well thought-out concept that keeps the atmosphere and rhythm of the movie constantly fresh and moving yet at the same time takes the right pauses to capture even the closest and most emotional moments that the actors portray in their fine performances. The thought-provoking conflict of the heroine is well told and with a surprising twist brings to light the underlying tension of a family, that has tried to ignore its own dealings of the past for far too long. The strong collaboration between novel-writer and director seems to be ever immanent and it is not exaggerated to say that the film as a whole is really making its point in the truth of the novels soul. It is worth mentioning that it is quite an achievement by first-timer Maria Schrader and her collaborators, that this German-Israelian co-production works on many levels and comes to full fruition. Certainly the director is someone to be watched for a promising cinematic future.
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