Giving totally of yourself to another person, trusting someone
that much, is a difficult step to take in a relationship. The mere
word "commitment" puts the fear of God into most people
and the anxiety it produces provides fodder for many a movie. The
romantic comedy A Family Affair adds it own unique take on
this societal malaise.
Rachel Rosen (Helen Lesnick) has just broken up – for real
this time – with her on-again, off-again girlfriend of 13 years,
Reggie (Michele Green). To make a fresh start, Rachel takes her
"dark self" out of New York and moves to sunny San Diego,
where her parents live.
It takes her a while to fit in, but eventually she finds some friends
"who understand sarcasm" and she begins to explore "the
lighter, brighter side of the [clothing] color spectrum." Unfortunately
though, most of her new friends are men.
Luckily for Rachel, her mother – who wanted to sit shivah when
she found out her daughter is a lesbian – is president of the
local PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Gays and Lesbians)
chapter and is making a retirement career out of supporting gay
rights. After a series of horrible blind dates, Rachel finally allows
her mother to set her up.
"I still find this sad and scary," says Rachel, "but
there you go. Loneliness is a dangerous thing."
Christine Peterson (Erica Shaffer) and Rachel click. All seems blissful
and the couple seems destined for the marriage canopy, but then
again ... what ever did happen with Reg?
Uneven acting detracts from A Family Affair – only about
half the cast can actually act – but the quality of the script
saves it. And, while the character of Rachel is annoying at times,
her observations on life do make you laugh. They will also make
you think about your own relationships and attitude towards commitment
... whether you're gay or not.
A Family Affair screens twice at Oakridge Cinemas; on Monday,
May 19, at 9:15 p.m., and on Tuesday, May 20, at 7 p.m. Both shows
are preceded by The Great Yiddish Love, an American short
film that is comprised of clips from Hollywood, German Ufa and Yiddish
films from the 1930s and '40s. It stars Marlene Dietrich and Zarah
Leander.
– Cynthia Ramsay
Seventeen is enough
Have two or three kids and feel overworked and underappreciated?
What if you had 17? Welcome to the Waks Family follows the
Wakses – one of the largest families in Australia – over
five years, starting with the marriage of their eldest daughter,
Shlomit, 21, just after after the birth of their youngest daughter,
Sheini.
The Waks patriarch, Zephaniah, describes his 1960s self as an "eat,
drink and mate" mate. Finding only emptiness in this existence,
he started searching for spiritual fulfilment. He found what he
was looking for in the Lubavitcher movement. Through a traditional
arranged married, Waks met Haya, who grew up in a Lubavitcher household
in Israel. They "courted" in New York, i.e. dated a few
times, then asked for the blessing of the Lubavitcher rebbe to wed,
which he granted.
The Wakses emigrated to Australia in 1984. Now, a number of their
children are studying at yeshivot elsewhere in the world, mainly
in the United States; one was in Israel for four years. In addition
to allowing viewers to witness family celebrations, the documentary
shows the tensions that the son Menahem caused in the family when
he gave up religion and joined the Israel Defence Forces, and the
sadness experienced when Haya's father passed away. As well, the
film gives a glimpse of how such a large family affords to house,
eat and clothe all of its members.
Welcome to the Waks Family plays at the Norman Rothstein
Theatre Tuesday, May 20, 7 p.m. Playing before it is the Israeli
short film Eicha, which is about a girl whose name, Eicha,
is the Hebrew title of the biblical scroll of lamentations read
on Tisha b'Av. Eicha was also born on this sombre fast day that
commemorates the destruction of the Temple. This film is about her
efforts to establish her own identity.
– Cynthia Ramsay
A time to live and ...
What is it about Israel that changes the nature of time? The answer
may not be found in the documentary It's About Time but the
question certainly gives Israelis pause for thought and the comments
range from the flighty and philosophical to the hysterically funny.
"It's suggested time," says one interviewee.
"There is no Israeli time," says another. "It's unknown."
"We live by the dates of war," says a third.
Wars definitely do have an impact on how Israelis view time, but
so apparently do newscasts, mortages, history, trauma and even turtles.
Filmmakers Ayelet Menahemi and Elona Ariel interviewed a taxidriver,
rabbi, lifeguard, swimmer, TV news editor and group of men playing
dominoes to get as varied a mix of observations as they could and
the result is thoroughly entertaining.
One woman suggests, and others seem to agree, that the state of
Israel was born so fast, that's why there's always the feeling that
things have to be done in a hurry. The problem is with trying to
reconcile a huge past and a condensed present, she says.
You can always pick out an Israeli in Disneyland, says one subject.
They're the only ones in a rush.
While most of this 54-minute film consists of quips like these,
there are also serious reflections, especially when a soldier talks
about how happy he was to make it to his 24th birthday, a milestone
for members of the Israel Defence Forces.
Ultimately, watching this movie is like reading a book of Jerry
Seinfeld jokes – you may learn a thing or two, you may gain
some insights into life, but mostly, it's entertainment.
It's About Time plays in Hebrew with English subtitles at
the Pacific Cinémathèque, May 21, 9:15 p.m.
– Baila Lazarus
Festival tickets are available at the Jewish Community Centre of
Greater Vancouver (JCC), 950 West 41st Ave., Monday-Thursday, 10:30
a.m.-1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; and
Friday, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.; and at Videomatica, 1855 West 4th Ave.,
Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; weekends, noon-6 p.m. The ticket
hotline number is 604-644-1157.
Program guides are available at the Jewish Western Bulletin,
the JCC, all local synagogues, Talmud Torah, Richmond Jewish Day
School, Benny's Bagels, Solly's Bagels, Videomatica, Pacific Cinémathèque,
Oakridge Cinemas, 5th Avenue Cinemas, Park Theatre, Omnitsky's Deli,
Sabra's, Kaplans, Kits Coffee Company, Granville Island Lottery
Ticket Centre, the International Deli (67th at Oak), various locations
on Main Street, the Richmond Country Club and Garden City Bakery.
Information is also available online at www.vjff.org.