| |
| |
![]() |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
SINGAPORE : Critically-acclaimed "Noodle", the opening film of this year's Israeli Film Festival in Singapore, has charmed audiences both in Israel and abroad.
The Israeli film, which is both in Hebrew and Mandarin, has received 10 nominations for the Israeli Film Academy Awards, and has also picked up the prestigious Special Grand Prize at the recent Montreal World Film Festival.
The movie tells the story of a twice-widowed Israeli air stewardess who helps a young Chinese boy find his mother after the latter is deported back to China. Two vastly different people whose lives have crossed unexpectedly, they overcome their language barrier and hostility to attain their goal.
The title of the film, "Noodle", is the nickname the air stewardess gives the Chinese boy, referring to his unique way of slurping noodles.
"It’s basically the story about two lost souls, that at first are hostile, but they find some mutual respect and eventually love, without being able to really understand each other. And they kind of find redemption within themselves through that action," said director Ayelet Menahemi.
The idea for the movie came up while Menahemi was meditating in India. She had always hoped to do a movie involving China, as the country had left a strong impact on her when she was travelling there extensively.
However, the language barrier was an issue during filming as the boy playing the title character came from Shanghai, and could not speak Hebrew or English.
Though an onset translator was needed to communicate with him, “there was such a strong emotional and powerful connection with this boy,” Menahemi said. “It’s really amazing how you can bridge over a lack of language and still have so much communication which is not verbal.”
Though most Israeli films have a political slant, Menahemi said "Noodle" is not a political film, "In Israel, everything is a bit political because the reality is really harsh and you can’t get away from it. But actually, there are normal people in Israel leading normal lives. Of course they are affected a little bit by the reality, but they are not obsessed with it all the time.”
She added that there are films made in Israel that are not political as they do not take political stands and “it’s about time that the world sees and knows that there are normal lives led in Israel”.
To Menahemi, her film is not necessarily cross-cultural just because it is in two different languages. A real cross-culture film “could even talk about the most esoteric, specific local story, and still make it in a way that it could come across, and people either in Denmark or Singapore, Uzbekistan or Israel, will relate to it and can really feel moved by it”.
You can catch "Noodle" on September 8 and 10 at The Picturehouse. The 16th Israeli Film Festival has been extended to September 12 and more shows have been added due to popular response.
- CNA/sl
|
