ASIA

Israel, 2020, 85 minutes, Colour.

Alena Yiv, Shira Haas, Tamir Mula.

Directed by Ruthy Pribar.

Asia is a multi-award-winning film, at Sundance, many awards in Israel, Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Oscar.

The running time is only 85 minutes, time to establish two central characters, the initial focus on Asia, mother at 17, fleeing Russia and the father of the child, settling in Jerusalem, working efficiently as a nurse, in a relationship with one of the doctors, but going to bars, drinking, pickups. There is also the focus on her daughter, teenager, mixing with teenagers, drinking, dancing, flirting, meeting at a skateboarding arena.

There is distance between mother and daughter. However, the film focuses on the growing illness of the daughter, her mother’s increasing care and concern, sensitive sequences between the two because of the health and disabilities, a small subplot where they are concerned about the daughter’s sexual experiences, the mother persuading a trainee nurse at the hospital to have a relationship with her daughter, the daughter’s reaction, the nurse’s embarrassment at the experience.

In many ways, this is a rather grim film, especially with the prospects of the daughter, but hopeful with the transformation of the mother.

The film has feminine sensibility, especially with the writer-director, and the two leading ladies, filmmaker Alena Yiv, and rising star, Shira Haas (so effective in the miniseries, Unorthodox).

1. A Jerusalem story, vistas of the city, homes, skateboard arenas, hospitals, clubs and bars? The musical score?
2. Multi-award-winning in Israel, Oscar nominee?
3. The title, the focus on Asia, her story, from Russia, pregnant at 17, leaving Russia, settling in Jerusalem, working as a nurse, interactions with the patients, with the staff, her affair with the doctor, going to bars, drinking, pickups?
4. Asia and her daughter, Vika, age, at the clubs, her friends, drinking, dancing, the skateboarders, flirtations? Her relationship with her mother, distant? Living together, tensions?
5. Vika and her illness, sudden, for a teenager, debilitating, going out, her friends? Care from her mother, the growing bonds, talking, care? The sexuality issue, her mother’s concern, her friendship with the nurse, his being in training, ambitions for qualifications, her setting him up with her daughter, the awkwardness of the situation, Vika’s response, his embarrassment?
6. The brief running time, the establishing of the mother-daughter relationship and its improvement, the characters, issues of health dying? Insights into mother-daughter experiences?