REVIEWS The Flood REVIEWED BYDAN FAINARU
Guy Nattiv, in his first solo flight after directing two earlier features (Strangers, A Matter Of Size) in tandem with Erez Tadmor, offers an impressive coming-of-age tale of the kind which fits easily into Berlin’s Generation section, but in this case could just as comfortably have filled a more visible slot in the festival’s line-up. Featuring a solid cast, The Flood (Mabul) is a
mature treatment of an acute family crisis seen through the eyes of an unusually smart, but physi- cally underdeveloped, 13-year-old named Yoni (Yoav Rotman, in an amazingly perceptive, sensi- tive and intelligent performance). This is one of the best Israeli films of the year and, with the right handling and given the profile of Ronit Elkabetz, playing the boy’s mother, it should have a fair shot at theatrical distribution and a long life on the smaller screens. Yoni lives with his parents in a small dormitory
town by the sea. His father Gidi (Grad) is a pilot flying fertiliser planes and his mother Miri (Elka- betz) runs a nursery for the neighbourhood tod- dlers. Soon to be 13, the age at which Jewish tradition says boys become men after their Bar Mitzvah ceremony, Yoni is constantly taunted by his older classmates for his small stature, high- pitched voice, thin arms and legs.
GENERATION
Isr-Can-Fr-Ger. 2010. 101mins Director Guy Nattiv Production company United Channels Movies International sales K5 International, www.
k5international.com Producer Chilik Michaeli Screenplay Guy Nattiv, Noa Berman-Herzberg, based on her story Cinematography Philippe Lavalette Editor Tali Halter-Shenkar Production designer Yoel Herzberg Music Patrick Watson Main cast Ronit Elkabetz, Tzachi Grad, Yoav Rotman, Moni Moshonov
But neither of his parents pays sufficient atten-
tion to his needs. They are barely talking to each other, both hiding guilty secrets. The fragile equi- librium is destroyed when Tomer (Moshonov), Yoni’s older autistic brother, of whose existence nobody knew, has to be brought home after years in a special institution. Tomer’s hallucinatory presence will force
everyone’s hand, indirectly revealing their secrets and leaving them no choice but to deal with
themselves and with each other, the best way they can. This is the kind of drama which could take
place anywhere, but all its characters are nicely rounded and solidly anchored in the painstak- ingly portrayed backdrop of an Israeli small town. The show is stolen by Rotman, who manages to convey in the most simple and natural way all the yearnings and frustrations of growing up and try- ing to make sense of the world.
February 15, 2011 Screen International in Berlin 13 n
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