This is why I like foreign films - they tackle subjects in ways that Hollywood wouldn't dare. This is a movie that leaves one guessing. Aside from the coming-of-age aspect and the disturbing parts about the weird behavior by the mother's boyfriend is the issue of what is real and what is not. What parts are real, and what are products of an unusual young girl's retreat into fantasy to escape her atypical living situation? That is the key question raised in the film.
Is Alan real? Certainly not. Even the logo for the film implies they are not two separate people. The same is true throughout the movie; it is obvious Alan is a fantasy created by Adar. Would a parent allow a homeless boy they just met to sleep in the same bedroom with their young daughter? Not likely. Would Michael, the mother's boyfriend, show an attraction to both the boy and the girl? Probably not. I feel Adar created Alan to absorb some of the abuse she is subjected to by Michael. Alan's final scene toward the end of the movie further implies that he was a creation of Adar's mind. She no longer needs him at that point, so he disappears. She has reconciled her issues, both internal and with her mother and Michael. That is also indicated by the fact that she returns to school. Also, note the knife Alan uses as he leaves the house for good, and confronts Michael with. Adar pointedly uses the same knife in a later scene.
There are other scenes that I wonder about, too, as to whether they are real or not. I don't want to delve into them here; it would take too long, and people need to watch the film and decide for themselves.
So what is real, and what did Adar create in her mind to cope with her unusual living situation? I'm still not sure, so I will have to watch the movie again. I suspect even then I will probably still have similar questions. But that's what makes this film so intriguing.
I highly recommend this movie to people who aren't afraid of being challenged by a film, and aren't afraid of subject matter that Hollywood wouldn't touch.
On the technical side, the only DVD I found is in Hebrew, with embedded English subtitles. The only worthwhile extra is a 13 minute "Behind the Scenes" narrated by the female director that is in Hebrew only, with no subtitles.
This is a film that deserves to be re-released on DVD and/or Blu-ray, with normal subtitles for the movie and the "Behind the Scenes" extra, and maybe a director's commentary in English or with English subtitles. Are you listening, Criterion?
Is Alan real? Certainly not. Even the logo for the film implies they are not two separate people. The same is true throughout the movie; it is obvious Alan is a fantasy created by Adar. Would a parent allow a homeless boy they just met to sleep in the same bedroom with their young daughter? Not likely. Would Michael, the mother's boyfriend, show an attraction to both the boy and the girl? Probably not. I feel Adar created Alan to absorb some of the abuse she is subjected to by Michael. Alan's final scene toward the end of the movie further implies that he was a creation of Adar's mind. She no longer needs him at that point, so he disappears. She has reconciled her issues, both internal and with her mother and Michael. That is also indicated by the fact that she returns to school. Also, note the knife Alan uses as he leaves the house for good, and confronts Michael with. Adar pointedly uses the same knife in a later scene.
There are other scenes that I wonder about, too, as to whether they are real or not. I don't want to delve into them here; it would take too long, and people need to watch the film and decide for themselves.
So what is real, and what did Adar create in her mind to cope with her unusual living situation? I'm still not sure, so I will have to watch the movie again. I suspect even then I will probably still have similar questions. But that's what makes this film so intriguing.
I highly recommend this movie to people who aren't afraid of being challenged by a film, and aren't afraid of subject matter that Hollywood wouldn't touch.
On the technical side, the only DVD I found is in Hebrew, with embedded English subtitles. The only worthwhile extra is a 13 minute "Behind the Scenes" narrated by the female director that is in Hebrew only, with no subtitles.
This is a film that deserves to be re-released on DVD and/or Blu-ray, with normal subtitles for the movie and the "Behind the Scenes" extra, and maybe a director's commentary in English or with English subtitles. Are you listening, Criterion?