I’m actually a little surprised that nobody pulled me aside and ordered me to go see this film. It’s definitely my type. Anyone who knows me well could see it a mile away. It’s full of darkness, melancholy, and characters who have shit luck. The film is described as centering around three females in Tel Aviv, but I think it goes beyond that. There’s the little girl, and mother and daughter conflicts, and the photographer.
It opens with Batya (Sarah Adler), a waitress, watching her live-in boyfriend move out. One critique I read described this scene and character as being passive, but I disagree. Crying and throwing someone’s belongings in the street no more make someone an active character than quietly continuing on with one’s life (working, dealing with landlord, etc.) makes someone passive. Batya’s storyline took a turn into magical realism, with the use of water imagery. One of the best uses of irony is how her mother is the voice for an organization that says every child deserves a roof overhead, while Batya’s own “roof” (ceiling, actually) is leaking—excessively.
A second storyline is that of Keren (Noa Knoller) and her new husband. He’s devoted, always trying to make her happy. Keren sees the flaws in everything. At first, it’s not noticeable, as her circumstances would probably depress most people. She’s supposed to be honeymooning in the Caribbean. Instead, she breaks her leg and is stuck in a hotel reminiscent of something off the Berlin Turnpike.
Joy’s (Ma-nenita De Latorre) story is intriguing, if only because it shows a life that many in this area are living. She knows only a little of the local language, and has to endure both separation from her son and the mistreatment by the elderly and infirm.
The boyfriend doesn’t return. Keren doesn’t have a lobotomy. Joy doesn’t become fluent in Hebrew. There’s no tidy ending; I loved it.
Jellyfish, (Zeitgeist Films) directed by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, is playing at Real Art Ways through July 10th.