Meir (Sasson Gabay) is slumping towards retirement and no longer has any fight in him. When the new guy in the penthouse suite double parks in front of Meir’s car, well, it just sums up the kind of day/week/life he’s having. But Itsik (Lior Ashkenazi) apologizes profusely and insists Meir and his wife Tova (Rita Shukrun) come up for a glass of wine. Turns out Itsik isn’t just rich and successful, he’s also charming and gregarious. Under the bright wattage of his attentive smile, Meir and Tova start to feel better about themselves and imagine a new chapter is possible.
Moshe Rosenthal’s comedy of vanities (the Audience Award winner at the recent Jerusalem Film Festival) has a deft, light touch, but hits harder than you might expect. That’s down to a sharp, keen script, and to the excellence of the performances—with special mention reserved for Gabay, who shows us a decent, downtrodden man willing to do almost anything (karaoke!) to recover his self-respect. That this is a grave error of judgment should go without saying.
Sasson Gabay, Lior Ashkenazi, Rita Shukrun, Arie Tcherner, Kobi Farag, Michal Levi
Israel
2022
In Hebrew with English subtitles
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Credits
Executive Producer
Yaron Bloch, Ben Giladi, Michal Vermus, Roni El-Roy, Dubi Rubinstein, Raz Yosef, Reuven Hecker
Producer
Efrat Cohen, Iris Ben-Moshe
Screenwriter
Moshe Rosenthal
Cinematography
Daniel Miller
Editor
Dafi Farbman
Production Design
Ido Dolev
Original Music
Gal Lev, Lior Perla
Director
Moshe Rosenthal
Moshe Rosenthal is a Tel Aviv-based writer/director. His work deals with themes of generational gaps and masculinity. After his film studies, he directed music videos and commercials, before focusing exclusively on films and television. He won Best Director at the Jerusalem Film Festival for his short film Shabaton (2016), among other international prizes. His 2016 web series, Confess, won several awards including the Grand Prix and Best Screenplay at the Marseilles Webfest. Karaoke is his debut feature.