Alila

This latest and most provocative feature film from acclaimed Israeli director Amos Gitai (KADOSH, KIPPUR, KEDMA) was adapted from a novel by Yehoshua Kenaz (English Title: Returning Lost Loves). The film intertwines the stories of more than ten characters who inhabit an apartment complex located on the outskirts of an impoverished area of Tel Aviv. Gitai’s ALILA paints a complex picture of contemporary life in this Jewish nation as its main characters struggle with immigration, violence, complicated relationships, compulsory military service and many other issues. One of the lead characters in ALILA is Linda (Lyn Shiao Zamir), a young Filipino woman who migrated to Israel and now takes care of an old Holocaust survivor named Schwartz (Yosef Carmon). Among their neighbors are Aviram (Lupo Berkowitch), his ex-wife Mali (Hanna Laslo), and her young new lover Ilan (Liron Levo). While Mali and Aviram secretly search for their son Eyal (Amit Mestechkin), who deserted his military service, illegal construction on an adjacent apartment — as well as the masochistic love-affair between Gabi (Yael Abecassis) and Hezi (Amos Lavie) -- disturbs the quiet and peaceful space in which Schwartz longs to spend his final years. Written, filmed and edited in the tradition of other ensemble feature films like Robert Altman´s NASHVILLE and SHORT CUTS, ALILA escapes the clichés of the genre by avoiding the collapsing of different stories into a unified ending. While the film’s narrative nucleuses are thematically interconnected, each story stands on its own by the compelling singularity of the characters and their respective backgrounds.