Sharna on Dani Menkin’s Dolphin Boy: The film documents the
inspirational recovery of Morad, an Arab-Israeli teenager who suffers from severe
post traumatic stress disorder after being severely beaten by other
teens in his village over a misunderstanding.  While it looks like
Morad’s only hope is to be committed to a mental institution, his
psychiatrist and father decide to pursue an alternative therapy:
swimming with dolphins in Eilat. The documentary’s riveting tensions are
will Morad ever get better and, if he does, will he ever want to return to
his village to be with his family and confront his attackers?
The beautiful cinematography of the dolphins in the Red Sea is only
rivaled by the unlikely hero of the film, Morad’s father, who inspires
viewers with his unconditional, absolute devotion to his son. In fact,
all of the subjects in Dolphin Boy are so compelling, that one forgets
they are watching a documentary, and not a character driven film.
Sharna on Maya Kenig’s Off-White Lies:  This feature film tells the story
of 13-year-old angsty Libby, who is sent from California to live with
her unemployed, eccentric and homeless father Shaul in Israel just as the
Second Lebanon War unfolds.  Shaul devises a plan for temporary housing.
He claims that he and his motherless daughter are from the North of the country,
and takes advantage of a wealthy Jerusalem family who has opened their
home to Israelis being bombed by Hezbollah.
Through the cleverly crafted narrative, Shaul becomes a likeable
figure, although nothing about his behavior is particularly endearing.
Perhaps he is redeeming in comparison to his hosts, who seem to be the
perfect affluent family, but have complex problems of their own.
Libby is the quiet, driving force behind the film, and the viewer
becomes invested in her trials and tribulations. A sort of twisted
coming of age story, the film ends with an undeniable attachment
to Libby and her mess of a father.
Sharna on Alon Zingman’s Dusk: Through an intricately weaved narrative,
Dusk tests its characters with life’s most difficult questions:
Do you tell your son that his father has abandoned him? Do you confront
the mother who gave you up for adoption? Do you forgive your elderly estranged father?
And do you turn your father in when he commits a crime?
These complicated questions propel a plot that brings,
similar to the American movie Crash, the unrelated characters into contact
with each other. Alon Zingman directs a suspenseful film that leaves the viewer
lovingly cringing at the protagonists’ decisions.
The film does not fall into the trap of stereotypes. Dusk is thankfully
not a so called chick flick but the story is uniquely driven by female characters,
given serious roles not defined by their gender. Also, as an Israeli film,
the subjects are not pigeon-holed into typical themes centered around
religious-secular division or complications as a result of the Conflict.
Dusk leaves its audience satisfied, yet wanting more as the answered
questions provoke many more.
Sharna Marcus is the Director of Education at Shorashim Chicago.