DVD Review - Or: My Treasure
Director Keren Yedaya won the Camera D'Or award (for best first film) at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. And if you see this quietly powerful film you will understand why.
Or (Dana Ivgy) is just 16 years old but she seems to be much older than her years. When we first meet her she is picking up her mother Ruthie (Ronit Elkabetz) from the hospital (they live in Tel Aviv). Ruthie is a prostitute who is getting too old to be in that game. Or would do anything to stop her mother from going back to walking the streets. She collects bottles and cashes them in and works in a local restaurant washing dishes. She even gets her mother a job cleaning someone's house. In between she goes to school when she can.
Ruthie gets the cleaning job but it is very difficult for her to adjust to regular work. Or seems to be an intelligent girl but, sadly, there are a number of instances in which her actions seem to be imitating her mother's. There is a boy named Ido (Meshar Cohen) who likes Or. But although she likes him she also likes to hang out with "bad boys" as well. I don't want to get into more of the plot details because I want people to see this film and find out how things turn out.
Yedaya does a wonderful job with her actors and the screenplay, co-written with Sari Ezouz, does not pull any punches. Ivgy gives an outstanding and heartbreaking performance as Or. You keep hoping that someone comes along to take her under their wing and get her out of the sad rut that she is in. Elkabetz is also terrific as Ruthie (I've seen her before in a few other Israeli films - most notably Late Marriage). While I wanted to feel sorry for her I found it at times hard to do so. I kept wondering how she could make her daughter's life so miserable. It is obvious that she loved her daughter and realized how good she was (she often called Or her treasure) but she just couldn't get her act together and give her child a normal life.
This is an Israeli film and like many (but by no means all) Israeli films it doesn't have anything to do with politics or religion. It is a real slice of life type of film and it shows how some people have to live. This story could have taken place anywhere. It just so happens that it takes place in Israel. But if there are still people out there who think that all Jews are rich they should see this film and maybe then they will realize that some Jews live in very poor conditions.
The film is very frank and there are a number of explicit scenes. I felt uncomfortable watching some of these scenes but that how I was supposed to feel. I could not imagine the film without them and they make the film all that more powerful. But I have to say that some people will be very upset by what takes place and because of that they may want to avoid the film (remember that Or is only 16). But for those of you who are open minded I highly recommend this film.
After seeing the film I went on imdb and looked up Keren Yedaya and I was disappointed to find out that this was the last film that she made. I hope that in the not too distant future we hear that this up and coming talent has a new film in the works.
Or (Dana Ivgy) is just 16 years old but she seems to be much older than her years. When we first meet her she is picking up her mother Ruthie (Ronit Elkabetz) from the hospital (they live in Tel Aviv). Ruthie is a prostitute who is getting too old to be in that game. Or would do anything to stop her mother from going back to walking the streets. She collects bottles and cashes them in and works in a local restaurant washing dishes. She even gets her mother a job cleaning someone's house. In between she goes to school when she can.
Ruthie gets the cleaning job but it is very difficult for her to adjust to regular work. Or seems to be an intelligent girl but, sadly, there are a number of instances in which her actions seem to be imitating her mother's. There is a boy named Ido (Meshar Cohen) who likes Or. But although she likes him she also likes to hang out with "bad boys" as well. I don't want to get into more of the plot details because I want people to see this film and find out how things turn out.
Yedaya does a wonderful job with her actors and the screenplay, co-written with Sari Ezouz, does not pull any punches. Ivgy gives an outstanding and heartbreaking performance as Or. You keep hoping that someone comes along to take her under their wing and get her out of the sad rut that she is in. Elkabetz is also terrific as Ruthie (I've seen her before in a few other Israeli films - most notably Late Marriage). While I wanted to feel sorry for her I found it at times hard to do so. I kept wondering how she could make her daughter's life so miserable. It is obvious that she loved her daughter and realized how good she was (she often called Or her treasure) but she just couldn't get her act together and give her child a normal life.
This is an Israeli film and like many (but by no means all) Israeli films it doesn't have anything to do with politics or religion. It is a real slice of life type of film and it shows how some people have to live. This story could have taken place anywhere. It just so happens that it takes place in Israel. But if there are still people out there who think that all Jews are rich they should see this film and maybe then they will realize that some Jews live in very poor conditions.
The film is very frank and there are a number of explicit scenes. I felt uncomfortable watching some of these scenes but that how I was supposed to feel. I could not imagine the film without them and they make the film all that more powerful. But I have to say that some people will be very upset by what takes place and because of that they may want to avoid the film (remember that Or is only 16). But for those of you who are open minded I highly recommend this film.
After seeing the film I went on imdb and looked up Keren Yedaya and I was disappointed to find out that this was the last film that she made. I hope that in the not too distant future we hear that this up and coming talent has a new film in the works.
posted by Film Fanatic | 6:50 PM
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