The talented Natalie Portman is the star, screenplay writer, and director of this time-shifting Hebrew language story, based on a book by Amos Oz. The story, seen through the eyes of a very and precocious sensitive young boy, takes place mainly in Jerusalem in the time running up to, and immediately after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, with flashbacks (some perhaps real, some perhaps not) to the Europe that have emotionally scarred his parents The boy must cope with his parents troubled marriage and a mother who battles depression, as well as with increasing tension between the Jews and Arabs. As you may guess, there is a lot — perhaps too much — packed into the film’s 98 minutes but the performances are impressive, which makes the sadness of the story bearable. (Subtitled.)
