Pink Subaru (2009)

The Arab-Israeli sushi chef Elzober can finally fulfill his dream: to buy a brand new black Legacy. But the day after the purchase the car is stolen.

Director:

Kazuya Ogawa

Writers:

Giuliana Mettini, Jeremy Pikser (supervising writer),

Stars:

Nidal Badarneh, Nahd Bashir, Adib Jahshan

Cast

Credited cast:
Nidal Badarneh	...	Jameel
Nahd Bashir	...	Adel
Adib Jahshan	...	Abusam
Nozomi Kawata	...	Sakura
Akram Khoury	...	Mahmoud
Mantarô Koichi	...	Zen
Salwa Nakkara	...	Im Subaru
Merav Sheffer	...	Esther
Raquel Shore	...	Aunt
Akram Tillawi	...	Elzober (as Akram Telawe)
Dan Toren	...	Dani
Michael Warshaviak	...	Gidon
Michal Yannai	...	Smadar
Michal Yannai	...	Smadar
Lana Zreik	...	Aisha

Storyline

The car, in small Arab-Israeli towns like Tayibe or Palestinian like Tulkarem, is fundamental. In this country to own a car becomes of vital importance, in order to reach biggest cities like Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. To be able to afford one becomes the dream of a lifetime, the car itself considered as a human being, a sort of wife. In Palestine many people buy a Japanese car, in order to save money, and Subaru is one of the most common. The film brings the audience into a few days in the life of Elzober, 45, a shy, modest widower and father of two, who works in a sushi restaurant in Tel Aviv and who can finally fulfill his dream: to buy a brand new black Legacy. His overwhelming joy is not going to last, however. The very day after the purchase the car is stolen. In Tayibe, his hometown, a real fuss starts up, everybody helps out, sharing the panic of the little family. All of Elzober's friends arrive to organize the search for the car, just before discovering that the car had not been ...

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Plot Keywords:

subaru | stolen car | pink | independent film

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Japan Israel Palestine Italy

Language:

Hebrew Japanese Arabic

Release Date:

20 November 2009 (Italy)

Filming Locations:

Israel

Box Office

Budget:

€700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compact, Revolution

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Along the lines of Kusturica and 'Life is Beautiful'

This is an excellent film, succeeding in creating comedy out of a tragic situation. The film glosses over the political aspects of the Arab-Israeli situation while recreating a microcosm of life of Arab Israelis: an in-between existence for people who are not fully Israeli and not fully Palestinian either. Beautiful sceneries, some slightly surreal scenes and a great story make this a wonderful film. The film is very symbolic: when the main character's new car is stolen, the Israeli authorities are conspicuous by their absence; the rich (in the form of the insurance company) are happy to not help either. He seeks help from the local mafia who are inefficient and clumsy. The Japanese, representing foreign goodwill, want to help but end up in a muddle as they don't really understand the problem. The comic aspect of the film comes from some surreal scenes (the little boy being stolen along with a car and making friends with a car thief or a Japanese girl wandering the streets of Palestine in a pink dress being just some of them). Overall the film leaves you with an understanding that normal life goes on for Arab Israelis, comedy and tragedy mixing as they do in life.