MABUL/FLOOD
Israel, 2011, 100 minutes.
Shmil Ben Ari, Ronit Elkabetz.
Directed by Guy Nattiv.
The Flood is an Israeli film about family traditions and a young boy and his coming of age, especially in preparation for his bar mitzvah. His parents have an autistic son who has to leave his institution and live with the family. This puts strains on both parents and the young boy.
The mother teaches at a kindergarten and is successful with the children. However, she had a breakdown when the autistic boy was young and was hospitalised. The father, relying on drugs, is a pilot at a local aerodrome. However, because of his drug-taking, he has been grounded.
The boy is skinny and is preoccupied with growing and putting on weight, use enhancing drugs, paying for them by doing the homework of boys in the school.
Things come to a head, the young boy begins to be more helpful towards his brother, befriending a young girl, the daughter of a man with whom his mother is having an affair.
The film dramatizes the conflicts but it brings characters happily together at the celebration of the bar mitzvah.
1. An Israeli film? Jewish Life and traditions? A coming of age film?
2. Contemporary Israel, home, school, synagogue, planes and flying, the cliffs and the beach? The musical score? The religious tones and music?
3. The title, the celebration of Bar- Mitzvah, the preparations? The reading from Genesis? Noah, his sons, the flood? How did this relate to Yoni and his family?
4. The story of Yoni, his age, preoccupation about his size, measuring his height, the weights and exercise, doing the students’ homework to get money, buying the drugs for his growth, difficulties in paying, the bullying and the insults? His mother, her life, marriage, the father sleeping, Yoni despising him, waving to him in the plane and the irony that he was grounded? His brother coming home, his negative reaction, helping, changing his attitude? The bullies and his brother? Shouting to break his voice, on the cliff, watching the young people on the beach, the girl, keeping it secret from her father? Putting the brother in the boat and pushing him out to sea, swimming out, the girl and her brother saving in? The parents’ reaction? His teacher and the discussion about his doing the others’ homework? Suspended? The rabbi, the lessons, the discussions, practice? The final ceremony and his success, his father’s pride? The party? Hope?
5. The brother, his age, autistic, in the institution for many years? The powers that be not able to keep him? Payments? His coming home? His mother and her devotion? The father and his concern? With Yoni? His brother in the cupboard, urinating, his mother cleaning it? His mother bathing him? Meals? The beach, in the boats, being rescued? His singing the Bar- Mitzvah chant with his brother?
6. The mother, her past, the birth of her son, autistic, her breakdown? Keeping busy, alienation from her husband? A success with the children and their playing? The relationship with the parent? Bringing her son home? Her tenderness, his sitting in the car, changing his clothes, cleaning up the urine, bathing, the meals, her concern? Continuing the affair?
7. The husband, being stoned, his love of flying, grounded, the clashes with his son, his relationship with the autistic boy, confessing the truth, his being proud at the Bar-Mitzvah?
8. The other children, the little ones in school and the delight? The boys? The girl at the beach, her friendship with Yoni? Her brother, bullying, talking about Yoni’s mother?
9. The resolution of the problems, hope for the future?
