Campfire (2004)
"Medurat Hashevet" (original title)

a story of one woman's personal battle for acceptance, but also a portrait of a political movement that has forever affected millions of lives in the Middle East.

Director:

Joseph Cedar

Writer:

Joseph Cedar

Stars:

Michaela Eshet, Hani Furstenberg, Moshe Ivgy

8 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michaela Eshet	...	Rachel Gerlik
Hani Furstenberg	...	Tami Gerlik
Moshe Ivgy	...	Yossi
Maya Maron	...	Esti
Assi Dayan	...	Motkeh
Oshri Cohen	...	Rafi
Yehoram Gaon	...	Moshe Weinstock
Yehuda Levi	...	Yoel
Avi Grainik	...	Oded
Idit Teperson	...	Shula (as Edith Teperson)
Itay Turgeman	...	Gozlan
Barak Lizork	...	Yaniv
Danny Zahavi	...	Ilan
Dina Senderson	...	Inbal
Ofer Seker	...	Yair

Storyline

Israeli Rachel Gerlik has been widowed for one year. Despite not ever having loved her husband, she feels she now needs to move on with her life. She plans to sell his car, which has not been touched in that year. She starts dating again, solely on blind dates set up by her friend Shula Kupfer, first with the insecure Yossi Moraly and then with renowned cantor Moshe Weinstock. Most importantly in Rachel's plan is to be accepted into the founding group of a new ideologically-based West Bank settlement yet to be built, the acceptance committee chaired by Shula's husband, Motkeh Kupfer, considered one of the most important figures in religious Zionism. She has many factors working against her in being accepted, most specifically there not being a man in the household. Regardless, Rachel and her family are accepted on a trial basis. Her family consists of two teen-aged daughters, Esti and Tami, both who believe that their mother has lost touch with the realities of their lives, especially...

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Plot Keywords:

west bank | settlement | bonfire | widow | cantor | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

official site [Israel] (Hebrew, English)

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew English

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Campfire

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Post Production Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Yehoram Gaon originally turned down the role of Moshe Weinstok, saying it's too small for someone who hadn't acted for quite a while. He changed his mind after director Joseph Cedar sent him a long list of Hollywood stars who made short appearances in various movies.

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Goofs

When Rachel comes home after her meeting with the founding committee, when Tammy has locked herself in her room and Rachel is talking to Esti in the Living Room, the shots of Rachel show her with her hands cupped over the top of a soda pop bottle, but the shots of Esti (from behind Rachel) show Rachel's hands cupped on her knapsack on the table.

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Quotes

[subtitled version]
Tami Gerlik: Why didn't you ever get married?
Yossi Moraly: I guess something's wrong with me.
Tami Gerlik: I'm serious.
Yossi Moraly: So am I. God doesn't want certain people to marry, so they won't reproduce. So he spoils something in their personality. Something little that you don't notice at first. But that something makes them stay alone.
Tami Gerlik: That doesn't make sense to me. I know some couples... I can't believe God wants them to reproduce.

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Connections

Features Mivtsa Yonatan (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Blind Date Rag"
Written by Jonathan Bar-Giora

User Reviews

A good solid film! Congratulations

I just watched this film! Sorry it took so long. I am impressed at how the Israeli Film Industry is developing and maturing. That is the real importance of this film! Well done to everyone. The acting was great! Everyone did a wonderful job. Yes let's be honest they had a good intelligent sensitive and strong script to work with. I wasn't sure where the story would take us, would it keep within that sort of comic story-line or was it going to develop into something more dramatic? Would it go over the top, as many Israeli films have a tendency to do (mostly lack of craft and self confidence in directors and editors) or would the film develop the characters with that same strength as it started with.

It just got better and better! The editing was good too - well done. I am impressed. Congratulations to the director, producers, actors, the entire crew.

The politics of that era? That was a good setting and an interesting way to tell this story. It did not distract from the story, it gave it a good strong setting, it gave it a fundamental foundation on which the writer was able to develop his love of craft.

The set design was good, keeping within the world of the early 1980s - yes these points are important in making a film.

I enjoyed every moment of the film!!! I loved the scene where Tammy is in the apartment by herself, singing and dancing and being a teenage girl in her 'performing imagination' it was wonderful! Hani did a GREAT job!

Everyone and everything was convincing. Again congratulations!