This Israeli feature has been noted for being one of the few that makes no mention of the Palestinian conflict (of the ones that reach these shores, anyway); its more interesting as a dreamy, eccentric, six degrees drama about loneliness.
The film follows the stories of three Tel Aviv women: beleaguered catering waitress Batya, living in the shadow of her celebrity mother and her charity campaign; Keren, who breaks her leg on her wedding night and finds herself honeymooning in a cheesy hotel; and Joy, a Filipino caregiver separated from her family and abused by her charges.
Theres no exact thesis being explored, things simply drift as Batya finds a lost child who cant speak, Kerens husband chats with a depressed writer and Joy endures her separation and separateness. Winner of the Camera Dor at last years Cannes festival, its slightly less exciting than a prizewinner should be strange though it is, it doesnt dig quite deep enough to make an impression beyond vague melancholy and mild disorientation.
Theres triteness to the resolution of Kerens story and the mystery surrounding Batyas young charge registers as ever so slightly precious. But just slightly. If the movie has its hiccups, its wise enough not to hang its purpose on them, choosing instead to ride the sad vibe and walk across an alien city with its confused inhabitants.
Jellyfish is no masterpiece but its light years more than youll get out of most movies these days. And directors Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret make sure their minor but savory aperitif goes down easy.
(Maximum)The film follows the stories of three Tel Aviv women: beleaguered catering waitress Batya, living in the shadow of her celebrity mother and her charity campaign; Keren, who breaks her leg on her wedding night and finds herself honeymooning in a cheesy hotel; and Joy, a Filipino caregiver separated from her family and abused by her charges.
Theres no exact thesis being explored, things simply drift as Batya finds a lost child who cant speak, Kerens husband chats with a depressed writer and Joy endures her separation and separateness. Winner of the Camera Dor at last years Cannes festival, its slightly less exciting than a prizewinner should be strange though it is, it doesnt dig quite deep enough to make an impression beyond vague melancholy and mild disorientation.
Theres triteness to the resolution of Kerens story and the mystery surrounding Batyas young charge registers as ever so slightly precious. But just slightly. If the movie has its hiccups, its wise enough not to hang its purpose on them, choosing instead to ride the sad vibe and walk across an alien city with its confused inhabitants.
Jellyfish is no masterpiece but its light years more than youll get out of most movies these days. And directors Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret make sure their minor but savory aperitif goes down easy.
