The Holy Land (2001)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Eitan Gorlin

Writer:

Eitan Gorlin (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A coming-of-age saga set against the tense backdrop of Arab-Israeli politics. Mendy is a young Rabbinical...

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Oren Rehany	...	Mendy
Tchelet Semel	...	Natasha "Sasha" Sonsova
Saul Stein	...	Mike
Albert Iluz	...	Razi
Aryeh Moskona	...	The Exterminator (as Ariel Moskuna)
Alon Dahan	...	Reb Nocham (Mendy's Rabbi)
Mosko Alkalai	...	Professor Milan (as Moscu Alcalay)
Liat Bein	...	Mendy's Mother
Yehoyachin Friedlander	...	Mendy's Father
Lanny Shahaf	...	Exterminator's Wife
Lupo Berkowitch	...	Daryl (as Lupo Berkowitz)
Arie Hassfari	...	Jamal (schoolboy)
Harel Noff	...	Hobo Priest
Icho Avital	...	Bar Patron
Louise Asher	...	Screaming Lady
Jenny Fleicher	...	Stanislav (the boss)
Gregory Tal	...	Boris (the goon)
Igor Mirkurbanov	...	Vladimir Michalovitch (Russian Piano Teacher)
Julia Gilinski	...	Monika
Chovav Bar-Zilay	...	Older Customer
Josh Becker	...	Young Customer
Rav Shmuel	...	Himself
Jonathan Becker	...	Member Of Band
David Ruderman	...	Member Of Band
Yechezkel Mehi	...	Member Of Band
Tzlil Hamayan	...	Lili

Directed by
Eitan Gorlin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Eitan Gorlin		writer

Produced by
Isil Bagdadi	....	executive producer
Ran Borgin	....	producer
Arnon Regular	....	associate producer
Eyal Sadan	....	line producer
Michael Sergio	....	executive producer
Saul Stein	....	co-executive producer
Uri Yerushalmi	....	producer (as Udi Yerushalmi)

Original Music by
Chris Cunningham

Cinematography by
Nils Kenaston

Film Editing by
Josh Apter
Yair Elazar

Casting by
Kristine Bulakowski		(as Kristine Brulakowski)

Production Design by
Carl J. Stensel

Art Direction by
Ariel Glazer

Costume Design by
Laura Dinolesko		(as Laura Dinolsky)

Makeup Department
Eli Almani	....	hair stylist
Dana Gorea	....	makeup artist
Itzik Ochana	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Robert Warmflash	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yochanan Kredo	....	first assistant director
Alona Lichter	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Manolo Schor	....	property master
Christopher Sergio	....	graphic designer
Arie Weiss	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Ethan Beigel	....	additional sound re-recording mixer
Ethan Beigel	....	print master
Itai Elohev	....	sound mixer
Eric Rolnick	....	additional sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Gal Altschuler	....	second grip (as Gal Altshuler)
Oren Arad	....	focus puller
Lior Danzig	....	still photographer
Noam Eisenberg	....	key grip (as Noam Eizenberg)
Ilan Katz	....	third electrician
Dimitry Matosov	....	camera loader
Shuki Paz	....	gaffer
Aviv Ziper	....	best boy electric (as Aviv Tsifer)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Yael Kredo	....	wardrobe

Other crew
Doron Avrahami	....	coordinator
Tzipory Bar Yosef	....	production coordinator (as Tsipori Bar-Yosef)
Mark Cantor	....	production assistant
Peter Chernoff	....	story contributor
Karen Hatzor	....	production assistant
Uri Iss	....	accountant
Borys Jaromovych	....	title designer (as Borys Jarmovych)
Gal Kalfus	....	key production assistant
Ariel Enriquez Saulog	....	digital supervisor (as Ariel Saulog)
Zeev Steinmatz	....	accountant
Keren Sternfeld	....	script supervisor
Zohar Vodrero	....	location manager
Danny Wohl	....	story contributor
Rami Yerushalmi	....	script consultant
Ori Zuckerman	....	camp manager

Distributors

• CAVU Releasing (2003) (USA)
• Hart Sharp Video

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

USA:102 min

Country:

Israel

Language:

English | Arabic | Russian | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Unrated | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Jerusalem, Israel

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2003) (TV)

Awful

Went to see this film with three other couples and not one of us eight thought it was worth anything. It sure does show the seedy side of Israel, the nude pole dancer and hooker Sasha plying her trade were quite unusual pitted against the pais swinging Talmudic students and scholarly Rabbis and all against the backdrop of the never ending civil strife with the Palestinians however it was so darn draggy and monotonous,the whole thing became unbearable.

And the ending proved that no matter how congenial to one another Jews and Arabs are,it's superficial and meaningless. I would say the film was certainly pro-Palestinian made by Jews over there who resent their own "occupation" of a land foretold as theirs. A land over which they died in wars foisted upon them by the Arabs who resented any "flowers" growing amid their desolate sand dunes. And the beat goes on until there is once again a major war which is inevitable.