Campfire

Campfire
Directed by Joseph Cedar

Press screenings have begun, open to press (of course) and full series pass holders. So here’s some previews; will post showtimes when the official schedule is released (May 5).

This film is set in 1980s Jerusalem, and concerns a family struggling to come to terms with loss. The mother, Rachel Gerlik, is in such denial she tells people her husband is “away” rather than admit she’s a widow — a year after her husband’s death. The older, rebellious daughter, Esti, chafes under her mother’s discipline; the younger one, Tami, tries to establish her own identity while being caught in the middle. The focus is not politics (aside from Rachel’s dream of wanting to join a group that’s founding a religious settlement in the West Bank), but relationships — and the casual sexism, the impedes Rachel’s desire to join the settlement group (there’s no man in the family to take guard duty), and emerges with near-tragic results around the titular campfire. The performances are all strong, and the budding romance between Rachel and a shy bus driver is particularly sweet. The film also won five Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

June 3, 2 pm, Egyptian; June 7, 9:30 pm, Neptune