• 31 ליולי 2008 : 18:00
• 3 לאוגוסט 2008 : 18:15
• 11 לאוגוסט 2008 : 18:15

When we first meet the Frankel family in Rapahël Nadjari’s beautifully acted drama, they are leading a fairly normal existence in one of Jerusalem’s “in-between” neighborhoods—not strictly Orthodox, but not entirely secular either. It’s a keen metaphor for the Frankels’ own Jewish identity: Eli, the father, is from a pious, observant family that delights in daily debating the spiritual questions sparked by Jewish liturgy; mother Alma is from a more secular background and has clearly made compromises to fit into to Eli’s world. Teenage son Menachem is comfortable wearing his kippah (skullcap) around the house, but tucks it away as soon as he goes out the door to meet his girlfriend. And little David may be too young to sort out his own place on the spectrum . . . but not for long.

One day, Eli simply disappears from the scene of an accident. Uncertain whether he is dead or alive, the family copes with their confusion and grief in ways that test their faith and family bonds. Alma, focusing on the practical survival of her household, chafes at her in-laws’ insistence on filling her house with ritual visits and prayers from the Psalms (tehilim). Her boys, desperate for solace, embark on a religious scheme that precipitates a moral and spiritual crisis.

Shot in the immediacy of handheld HD video but with film lenses that give depth and warmth to this extraordinary ensemble piece, Tehilim is a moving, complex and thoroughly rewarding journey into the searching soul of a modern family.

לפרטים נוספים: http://www.sfjff.org/site/pages/index.php

July 31 2008 6:00pm

Castro Theatre

August 3 2008 6:15pm

CinéArts @ Palo Alto Square

August 11 2008 6:15pm

Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center