THE KIND WORDS

Israel, 2015, 118 minutes, Colour.
Rotem Zissman- Cohen, Roy Assaf, Assaf Ben- Shimon, Tsahi Halevi, Sisson Gabai, Louise Portal.
Directed by Shemi Zarhan.

This is an Israeli film about identity.

The film opens with a scene in Algeria in the 1960s, the forbidden romance between a Jewish young woman and an Arab man. Later, it will be revealed that this is a scene from a film about the real incident.

But, it is the real incident that causes the problems. Three middle-aged siblings discover that their estranged father, who has married again, a younger woman, may not be their actual father. The mother has had a sudden illness and died.

On the one hand, the film is a portrait of the three children, adults, with various problems of relationships: the woman, one of the most maddening characters on screen, Julie angry, is alienated from her husband and is depressed after several miscarriages; the older brother has become Orthodox for the sake of his American wife and their children; the younger son is homosexual and alienated from his partner.

As the discussions develop, it seems the best thing for them all to go to France to try to track down the truth, which involves going to see their aunt who is evasive about the whole situation, information about a French actress and her relationship with the man who could be their father, a trip to Marseille, a visit to an Arab-owned Jewish restaurant with Jewish singers, where the woman discovers a courtyard with a fountain that has stayed in her memory.

The man who is their father – the audience knowing this – is unwilling to communicate and denies the whole situation.

Each of the children comes to some kind of resolution of their own personal problems and facing the challenge of the possibility of their having an Arab father.

1. An Israeli film, themes, characters, complexities?

2. Algeria and the opening of the film? Jerusalem, homes, the funeral? Paris, Marseille and the city landscapes? The musical score?

3. The setting, the mother and Maurice, the young age, in love, Algeria, her bringing the hat, the love sequences, the parents, the separation, and the device of the film stock burning?

4. 2012, the family, the range of character, tensions, religious and secular, Dorona and her sternness, at the counsellor with her husband, her praying to God, rejecting him? Natanel and his wife, the Orthodox, clothes, caution meals, behaviour? Shai, gay, parting with his friend? The scenes with the baby on Skype? Dorona, pregnant, so many miscarriages, discussions with the doctor? Her bitterness? Living with her mother, their clashes?

5. The mother, her character, bright, illness, agreeing to go to hospital, her sudden death?

6. Separated from her husband, the tensions at the hospital, the father and his new wife, the singer? The confrontation with the Dorona, the two spatulas? Shai and his presence, Natanel and his wife, their children?

7. The father, the news about their mother? Issues of paternity? The effect on the children? The discussion, issues of blood, an Arab father?

8. The quest, Shai and his looking at all his father’s accounts, the amounts, the dates, his conclusions? Natanel being the son of an Arab? Dorona and her continued anger, petulant, disbelief? The phone calls to the aunt in Paris, her physical condition, the operation, her responses, evasions?

9. Shai, getting the tickets, the decision to go, Ricky also coming, and then the Father’s arrival? The hotel, going to visit the aunt? The questions, her stories, her hesitations, going to get the photo, lying down, going to sleep and avoiding the issue? Ricky and Dorona, in the sauna, his love for her, her continued suspicions?

10. The information about Marseille, the aunt telling them about the actress, their contacting her, her welcoming, the re-enactment in the film, Maurice as the director, the actress not able to go through with the performance? The information about Maurice, chef, going to Marseille?

11. Marseille, the clues, the address, the restaurant, their thinking it was Lebanese, its being Jewish, the owner, the singers of the Jewish songs, their dancing? The address, its being boarded up? Wandering Marseille, the importance of the photo of Dorona and her mother, her suddenly seeing the site, the fountain, remembering the house, going in?

12. Finding Maurice, his denials? The news of their mother’s death? Their following him, shopping, his sitting on the bench, his collapse – and their getting the ambulance?

13. Hospital, everyone there, Dorona taking his keys, finding the record, the message?

14. Maurice and Dorona, getting the keys back, his wishes? Dorona, being more at peace, Ricky and his love and collaboration?

15. The ambiguity of the ending – and perhaps the audience having more information than the brothers, with Dorona knowing what it happened?