By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Erez Tadmor | Guy Nattiv
Starring: iron Levo | Lubna Azabal
Country: france, israel
Year: 2008
Running time: 85
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1064215/
Bruce says: “Rana (Lubna Azabal) has come to Berlin for the 2006 World Cup, France against Italy. Eyal (Liron Levo) is attempting to reconnect with a former girlfriend. On a subway in Berlin these two strangers with identical back packs are sitting across from one another. She reaches her stop and grabs a back pack from the floor. He stays on a few more stops. Thus begins what is a totally improvisational film. Only a plot outline existed before the shooting. Dialogue was virtually nonexistent. The actors had never met each other before filming and it was part casting genius and part blind luck that they had the proper chemistry to carry off what is essentially a two-character film. Were this an American film it might end up as mumblecore, but the directors have a larger plan in mind than self-indulgent or failed personal relationships.
“Thanks to technology, horrific events such as discovering you have someone else’s back pack are easily remedied when their cell phone is also in their bag. You just dial your number on their phone and the other party answers your phone. Well, that’s how it’s done in the movies. So the two meet to exchange bags. By now it is obvious that Eyal’s ex-girlfriend is not returning his calls. Rana suggests he come with her. For convenience’s sake, the two share a room in the Turkish section of Berlin. They immediately establish their roots: he is Israeli; she, Palestinian living in France. For the next two days they are inseparable. Suddenly Rana’s cellphone rings. It is bad news and she claims she must return to Paris immediately.
“Left on his own, Eyal wanders around Berlin, aimlessly; on impulse he decides to go to France. Back in Paris we learn that Rana has sickly son who has had an asthmatic attack severe enough to require a trip to the emergency room at a local hospital. When Rana is questioned by the hospital staff about her immigrant status she realizes she and her son are in danger of being deported. In desperation she calls Eyal to help get her son out of the hospital. Suddenly Eyal is cast in the role of surrogate father. That the two lovers will get together again is without question. Will they be able to stay together? The war between Israel and Lebanon has erupted. It highlights the difference in viewpoints between the two.
“The filmmakers do their best to make sure STRANGERS does not become a ‘love-conquers-all’ tearjerker. They are almost successful in avoiding the maudlin pitfalls that the run-of-the-mill love story genre naturally demands. The improvisational nature of the film is no doubt a big help as there is little temptation or opportunity to overwrite the love angle and, in the process, dilute the important issues that serve as a backdrop. 3.5 cats
“STRANGERS screened at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.”