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 | bisexual man | male rear nudity | jerusalem israel | gay interest | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

A framed etching of a view over the Goslar market square can be seen hanging on the bedroom wall in Thomas' apartment in Berlin.

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Connections

Referenced in KVIFF Guide: Episode #1.8 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Jour de Pluie
Written and performed by Dominique Charpentier
From The Cakemaker - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

User Reviews

Suffering people who find their match

The Cakemaker touched me because it is a story where (1) the charaters are authentic and each one is commited with his own beliefs; beliefs that are difficult to reconcile with each other; and (2) my wish to witness a happy ending for all of these characters kept me in suspense until the end; an end in which it is possible to foresee a happy end for Thomas and Anat. The direction and the actors did a good job, because the spectator can feel the feelings that the characters express. Yet two points remain unclear to me: (1) what was going through Oren's head to reconcile the vocation of a head of a small family, who loves his wife and young boy, with a vocation of a gay who enjoys sexual contacts with other men? It seems to me unliketly to develop these two personalities in the same psyche. I would have preferred the story if his friendship with Thomas didn't include sex. (2) What transformation took place in Thomas head to assume the role of Oren relatively to Oren's family? Did Thomas realized that it was existencially better to him to be Oren instead of Thomas? This scheme in which two personalities merge reminded me Bergman's Persona.

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