Or (2004)

Director:

Keren Yedaya

Writers:

Sari Ezouz (writer)
Keren Yedaya (writer)

Release Date:

16 September 2004 (Israel)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Or shoulders a lot: she's 17 or 18, a student, works evenings at a restaurant, recycles cans and bottles for cash...

Plot Keywords:

Prostitution | Mother Daughter Relationship

Awards:

11 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Ronit Elkabetz	...	Ruthie
Dana Ivgy	...	Or
Meshar Cohen	...	Ido
Katia Zinbris	...	Rachel (as Katia Zimbris)
Shmuel Edelman	...	Shmuel
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shelly Skandrani	...	Prostitute
Siyalit Tamir	...	School careers adviser
Sarit Vino-Elad	...	Iris

Also Known As:

Mon trésor (France)
Or (My Treasure) (USA) (festival title)

Runtime:

100 min | Argentina:100 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

France | Israel

Language:

Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Québec) | France:-12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:16 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Tel Aviv, Israel

Company:

Bizibi

Trivia:

Visa d'exploitation France #108850

Not exactly a date movie

Most of the other comments here about this movie are correct, but they dance around the central issue, I think. But first . . .

First: the acting here is superb. I had to remind myself I wasn't watching a documentary.

Second: the cinematography is unusual and highly effective. It's a certain style that other directors have used (some Japanese guy, for example, whose name escapes me.) Someone here describes it as minimalist, and maybe it is, but it has the effect of putting you in the scene as a sort of innocent bystander. For example, the camera does not always follow the action; rather, it is stationary and the characters pass back and forth. Sometimes they drift off screen, or almost off screen, right in the middle of a scene. In this particular case, it works to great effect. It's as if you're sitting on the couch, ignored, slightly embarrassed, taking it all in.

OK, now for the story. This is a story about sex, women, and men, in its most elemental form. Sex for money, or barter, whatever. Sex for cheap thrills. But mostly, this is about the way that men use women, and IN PARTICULAR how Israeli men relate to women. That's the crux of it, because this film was not shot in Argentina, or Kenya, or Thailand, but in the (so-called) Holy Land. 50 years after the establishment of the state of Israel, once referred to as the Moral Vacation Spot of the World, we see a society which is blatantly exploitive of women. No moral compass here. We get the landlord who cops a feel for the rent. A soldier on leave from the West Bank who demands a blow job. Drunks in the street humping an aging whore. An ex husband who couldn't care less that his former wife walks the streets. This is gritty stuff to see in the land of Jesus & Co.

So, not a fun movie -- leaves you feeling like you just took a nap on the floor of a Greyhound terminal -- but if you're up for well done realism, this is for you.

P.S. Lots of nudity, and sex, but don't expect to get turned on; it's more like watching an xxx flick from inside the porn star's head.

P.P.S. (Written much later) If you're up for another interesting look at Israeli sexuality, there's a documentary called (I think) The First Zionist Bunny. It's about how Playboy selected a host for their cable channel in Israel. Very interesting flick.