By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Tom Shoval
Starring: David Cunio | Eitan Cunio | Gita Amely | Moshe Ivgy | Shirli Deshe
Country: france, germany, israel
Year: 2014
Running time: 197
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2670524/combined
Kyle says: “YOUTH is the feature film debut of writer and director Tom Shoval. The fact of its co-production between Israel and Germany is attention grabbing. The title is a statement of age and experience, as well as a reference to a certain kind of ATM card that will allow only small cash withdrawals. Twin Israeli boys plot the kidnaping of a local rich girl in order to help out their overworked mother and increasingly depressed father with financial woes. Yaki (David Cunio) is in the army, wears fatigues, carries a rifle, and is the epitome of cool to Shaul (Eitan Cunio), his clingy, possessive civilian brother who does not have much going for him. Having seen way too many bad American movies, they think kidnaping and ransoming is an easy way to come up with $152,000. But they have not considered various possibilities, such as the victim’s family observing Shabbat and not answering the telephone to receive ransom demands, or being accustomed to their daughter’s weekend absences and therefore not alarmed. Things go badly for the incompetent kidnapers, but not the way you think they will.
“YOUTH is a moderately interesting film that falters under the burden of excessive attention to class and gender issues in Israel, and of course the ubiquity of weapons and the trappings of military life. Writer and director Tom Shoval allows his audience to ask far too many of the wrong questions, such as why no one notices the two boys coming and going with numerous bags into an isolated soundproof armor-plated cellar. But the casting and training of two non-professional twin brothers to play some very emotional scenes pays off dramatically. 3 cats
“Seen Tuesday, March 25, 2014, New Directors/New Films at the Walter Reade Theater, Film Society of Lincoln Center, New York.”