Nina's Tragedies (2004)
"Ha-Asonot Shel Nina" (original title)

The taboo relationship between young Nadav and his Aunt Nina transcends definition on its way to odd highs and lows.

Director:

Savi Gavison

Writer:

Savi Gavison (screenplay)

Stars:

Ayelet Zurer, Yoram Hattab, Alon Aboutboul

11 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ayelet Zurer	...	Nina
Yoram Hattab	...	Haimon / Alex
Alon Aboutboul	...	Avinoam
Aviv Elkabeth	...	Nadav
Anat Waxman	...	Alona
Shmil Ben Ari	...	Amnon
Dov Navon	...	Menahem
Jenya Dodina	...	Galina (as Yevgeniya Dodina)
Yitzhak Hizkiya
Rivka Neuman	...	Adviser
Gili Ben-Ozilio	...	Nurit
Asher Tzarfati	...	Military Commander
Gili Shushan	...	Rafi
Osnat Fishman	...	Lihi
David Danino

Storyline

The taboo relationship between young Nadav and his Aunt Nina transcends definition on its way to odd highs and lows.

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Plot Keywords:

pants | fight | fashion designer | father son relationship | coffee shop | 

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Taglines:

A very sad comedy

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Wellspring Media [us]

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew

Release Date:

15 January 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nina's Tragedies

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$24,456 (USA) (25 March 2005)

Gross:

$238,487 (USA) (12 August 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Israeli Film Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Oedipal desire

A lonely, bookish 14 year old boy, Nadav is infatuated with his Aunt Nina, his mother's younger sister. When her husband is killed in a terrorist attack only a couple of months after their marriage, Nina is devastated. Fearing the worst, Nadav is sent by his mother to be with her. So begins 'the happiest days of his life, so far.'

The problem is that Nadav, in his innocence and naivety, believes this to be the beginning of something much more. Nina herself is oblivious to this, seeing only a loving nephew and young boy. Seen through Nadav's eyes, we witness the slightly bizarre reality of the world around him – Nina coming to terms with her grief, his parents dealing with their separation and his father's illness, his best friend (Menachem – a much older man) dealing with his budding relationship with Galina.

While under-stated, Nina's Tragedies is a genuine mix of comedy, pathos, anger and sadness (but thankfully avoiding melodramatic pitfalls), has fully-rounded characters, a tight script and a uniformly excellent cast. It is understandable why the film won eleven Israeli Film Awards in 2003 (including Best Feature).