By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Jonathan Gurfinkel
Starring: Eviatar Mor | Roy Nik | Sivan Levy
Original language title: Shesh Peamim
Country: israel
Year: 2013
Running time: 100
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278284/combined
Bruce says: “This disturbing Israeli film S#X ACTS examines the effects of sexual bullying, a most disquieting albeit extremely important issue among teenagers. Gili (Sivan Levy) has switched schools midway through high school. Her mother is a single parent and she has little chance to be popular; it is only the advantaged kids who achieve that status. The film is divided into six acts, which is a double edged sword.”
“Tomer (Roy Nik) – the sexiest, most athletic and most popular guy in school – has the nose of a predator. He senses Gili’s vulnerability and zeros in for the kill. The first act begins when he invites Gili to hang out with him and his best friend Omri (Eviatar Mor) in a mall parking lot. Tomer talks Gili into taking a walk with Omri to get his rocks off. She follows orders to
please Tomer. When the boys drop her off she pretends to live in a fancy row of townhouses rather than the nearby apartment building, which is her home.
“Tomer isn’t just trying to get laid. He views Gili as an object he can hand off to friends. He has the soul of a pimp. Gili is convinced that he really likes her and that she will conquer his heart through sheer persistence. The third act begins with Tomer saying, ‘’m horny.’ ‘Control yourself,’ Gili tells him. ‘I can’t. You can’t make me this horny and walk away. Get on
all fours like a whore.’
“The encounters get more and more disturbing and it is easy to imagine that Gili might be in grave physical danger. Her emotional toll has already registered loud and clear. It is the sixth act that tells us about the consequences.
“What is most troublesome about Gili’s story is the detachment all the teenagers in the story have from the adult world. There is no supervision, no nurturing, no love, no interaction. S#X ACTS is a film that wields its power through its simplicity and an outstanding performance from Sivan Levy. While totally different in point of view, I could not help think of OR (MY TREASURE) an equally disturbing Israeli film involving a teenager who makes different wrong decisions. 3.5 cats
“(S#X ACTS careened at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.)”