Alila
Opening credits are spoken by director Amos Gitai.,This is a fresh canvas over daily life in modern Israel depicted by several stories that intertwine within a chaotic apartment building where the main characters dwell. The plot of the movie is not exactly straightforward, but this a well-known feature in Gitai's films. Gitai is a keen observer of life in Israel, and that is what the film is all about. In this sense, the movie outstandingly captures the mayhem and chaos of life in southern Tel-Aviv through the stories of ordinary people. But, however absorbed they seem to be in their own problems and plights, they cannot detach themselves from "the situation", the euphemism Israelis use to denote the conflict with the Arabs. Thus, the personal troubles of the main characters are put into perspective when confronted with the larger picture of bombings and terrorism, as radio flashes remind the main characters what is going on in the outside world. Nevertheless, unless you appreciate all things Israeli, you won't find any particular appeal in this movie. This is definitely not a mainstream movie, although all actors perform remarkably well. Also, you have to be a native Hebrew speaker or you won't understand most of it. I could hardly understand 10% of the dialogs. Additionaly, some Oriental Mizrahi music in the background also adds up to raise the interest of the movie.,