The Cakemaker (2017)

A German pastry maker travels to Jerusalem in search of the wife and son of his dead lover.

Director:

Ofir Raul Graizer

Writer:

Ofir Raul Graizer (screenplay)

Stars:

Tim Kalkhof, Sarah Adler, Roy Miller

18 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tim Kalkhof	...	Thomas
Sarah Adler	...	Anat Nachmias
Roy Miller	...	Oren Nachmias
Zohar Shtrauss	...	Moti (as Zohar Strauss)
Sandra Sade	...	Hanna (as Sandra Sadeh)
Tamir Ben Yehuda	...	Itai Nachmias (as Tomer Ben Yehuda)
Stephanie Stremler	...	Sophia
Tagel Eliyahu	...	Dana
Eliezer Shimon	...	Avram (as Eliezer Lipa Shimon)
Gal Gonen	...	Client
Sagi Shemesh	...	Soldier
Iyad Msalma	...	Swimming instructor
David Koren	...	Swimmer (as David Heedye Koren)

Storyline

Thomas, a young and talented German baker, is having an affair with Oren, an Israeli married man who dies in a car crash. Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking answers. Keeping his secret for himself, he starts working for Anat, his lover's widow, who owns a small café. Although not fully kosher and despised by the religious, his delicious cakes turn the place into a city attraction. Finding himself involved in Anat's life in a way far beyond his anticipation, Thomas will stretch his lie to a point of no return.

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Plot Keywords:

gay sex | male rear nudity | gay man has sex with a woman | berlin | jerusalem israel | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Films Boutique Fimbaseberlin [Germany]

Country:

Israel Germany

Language:

English Hebrew German

Release Date:

28 December 2017 (Israel)

Also Known As:

The Cakemaker

Filming Locations:

Jerusalem, Israel

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$33,384, 1 July 2018

Gross USA:

$875,751

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,287,568

Company Credits

Production Co:

Laila Films, Film Base Berlin

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Israel for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.

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Connections

Referenced in KVIFF Guide: Episode #1.8 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Instantané
Written and performed by Dominique Charpentier
From The Cakemaker - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

User Reviews

Israeli character study and relationship drama shines throughout

"The Cakemaker" (2017 release from Israel; 104 min.) brings the story of Thomas, a cakemaker in Berlin whose Kredenz Cafe and Bakery is frequented by Oren, an Israeli guy often in Berlin on business. Even though Oren has a wife (Anat) and young son in Jerusalem, Thomas and Oren start an affair. We then go to "One Year Later", and apparently Thomas and Oren live together when Oren comes to Berlin. Then one day, after Oren leaves for Israel, he no longer returns Thomas' calls, and to his horror, Thomas finds out that Oren was killed in an accident. Wanting to find out more, Thomas decides to go to Jerusalem and contact Anat (without revealing to her who he is). At this point we're 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: the movie is written and directed by Ofir Raul Grazier. I can't say that I am familiar with his prior work. But I do know this: "The Cakemaker" is one of the best movies I have seen this year. Given the plot-heavy nature of the movie (the key question being: will Thomas reveal to Anat who he really is or will he be found out about?), I am not going to say much more. Well-known and respected French-Israeli actress Sarah Adler is outstanding as the grieving widow. German actor Tim Kalkhof plays Thomas, and does fine. As it turns out, this is a bit of a foodie movie too, featuring German cakes and pastries (I'll have another slice of Black Forest Cake any day!).

"The Cakemaker" premiered on the film festival circuit in the summer of 2017, and has won near-unanimous critical acclaim. Indeed, "The Cakemaker" is one of those rare movies that is certified 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. "The Cakemaker" opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati this weekend, and I couldn't wait to see it. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay, but just okay (about 15-20 people). If you have any interest in a top notch foreign movie with fully developed characters and with a touch of foodie stuff sprinkled in, I'd readily suggest you check out in the theater (if you get a chance), on VOD (more likely) or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion. For me, "The Cakemaker" is a WINNER all the way.