By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Savi Gavison
Starring: Alon Abutbul | Anat Waxman | Aviv Elkabeth | Ayelet Zorer | Dov Navon | Shmil Ben Ari | Yoram Hattab
Original language title: Ha-Asonot Shel Nina
Country: israel
Year: 2005
Running time: 106
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376007/combined
Clinton says: “This Israeli film was a real treat, a foreign film that transcends country and language to tell a very human story. This is the world as seen through the eyes of young Nadav. His parents have recently split up (mom is sexually adventurous and wild, while father was embraced religion), and Nadav now has more time than ever to engage in his favorite pastime – peeping in windows. His favorite window is that of his stunningly pretty Aunt Nina, and this point of view is the framing for the entire tale of Nina and the family during the pivotal moments of Nadav’s childhood. I’d hate to spoil the quirky yet thoroughly realistic twists and turns of the plot, so I’ll just list a few highlights: a jilted lover runs through the streets naked, an army officer falls in love while delivering the bad news to a new widow, ghostly visions appear during moments of sexual awakening, a sad Russian woman caustically seduces a lonely man at a bar, and Nadav’s super-secret diary of crushes and obsessions are discovered by his hive-ridden school principal. The best thing about this film (a huge winner at this year’s Jerusalem Film Fest, and Israel’s entry for the Oscar) is that the whimsy is there, but it feels completely genuine. I would put this in the ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS category, an unsentimental story filled with heart wrenching moments. Hopefully headed for a major art house release.”
Bruce says: “This is one of my strangest film experiences in recent memory. I absolutely loved the idea of the film and was so enthralled that I watched part of it a second time immediately after the first viewing.
“Don’t be misled, for NINA’S TRAGEDIES is a tricky title. The story does involve Nina but she is merely the catalyst for the coming of age story about her nephew Nadav. Her nephew? Yes, well Nadav’s first stirrings of sexual nature center around the lust he slowly develops for his mother’s younger sister, the beautiful Nina. His mother is a character in her own right, a fashion maven who fancies herself a sex kitten once she separates from Nadav’s father who has rapidly developed a religious fervor.
“Nadav and an older friend start spying on Nina and her longtime boyfriend Haimon. Nina first is jilted by Haimon, and then quickly marries him. When Haimon is killed suddenly, Nina is devastated. She asks Nadav to move in with her to keep her company. One night she asks Nadav to sleep in her bed. Nadav, already smitten, becomes obsessed.
“Shortly thereafter, Nina meets Avinoam, a photographer who is willing to ditch his fiancée for her. He says he will wait for Nina forever. When Nina is unresponsive, Avinoam marries the fiancée within a matter of weeks. Next Nina discovers she is pregnant. Finally Nina begins hallucinating that Haimon is running naked through the streets. Nina is no stranger to drama.
“Much of the film is devoted to subplots which dart off as though they belong to a different film – Nadav’s father suddenly developing lung cancer, his mother’s endless parade of new boyfriends and some Russian immigrants who have strange ideas. And throughout, Nadav is keeping a diary which ultimately figures heavily in the plot. These quick changes of direction, sometimes ever so brief, sound annoying but they actually contribute positively to telling Nadav’s story. The seemingly unrelated moments do have logical explanations when all the facts are finally presented.
“Aviv Elkabeth is radiant as Nina and Anat Waxman is perfect as Nadav’s distracted mother. The core problem of the film is the young actor who plays Nadav. He is in no way engaging or endearing and, as a result, incapable of eliciting much empathy from the viewer. We need to feel Nadav’s growing pains and that is impossible. With a gifted actor in the role, NINA’S TRAGEDIES could have been a brilliant film. 3 cats”