Ha-Mangalistim (2003) Reviews

• A most pleasant surprise

  celso12003-03-29

  With the English title "The barbecue people", this film turned out to be "the" surprise at the Mar del Plata Film Festival 2003, obtaining the Jury's prize for best screenplay and was very warmly acclaimed by the public. It turned out to be my favourite in the Official Section too. The story is about a Jewish family celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Independence of Israel with a family barbecue. The parents have been born in Iraq (of all places!)and moved to Israel after the creation of the Republic. As the barbecue is prepared in a picnic area in a public park which holds a secret to the meaning of the film, we are shown the four leading character's estrangements and conflicts in the search of something fundamental for their lives: for the father it's his honor during the fight for the establishment of the State; for the mother a love story from the past; for the falsely accused of murder son it's his failure as a filmmaker and his life that are at stake; for the daughter it's the whole meaning of her present and future at a turning point that will probably change all things to come. There is also a seemingly passion murder that adds a sort of suspense involving all the characters in an interwoven intrigue of love,vengeance and business affairs. The film stands out for its superb telling of the story in such a way that some scenes are re-signified when being re-told as we follow in succession each of the character's experiences ( of course it's as old as "Rashomon" or even more you might say)but it's all beautifully done, with great artistry, and by the end the authors have won , through honest feelings and emotions, our sympathy in favour of a plight for peace and understanding among members of a family and peoples of the world, which seems to be our unattainable desire in the present times. The acting is above average, especially the lady playing the mother, who is simply perfect.

• Very Good Israeli Movie

  babyshoe2006-08-01

  I would highly recommend this movie. The story involves one family celebrating a holiday with a bbq. The plot weaves the story of the father, mother, son, and daughter, each happening at the same time, but from a different perspective. This is a finely crafted script and well done film. My main reason for writing this review is to say how incredible the father was in the movie. After watching the DVD and seeing the behind the scenes section, they mentioned that he was not a professional actor. I don't know his name, but in my opinion, he stole the movie. the father's section is perhaps the most believable. The only criticism I would have for the film-makers is that some background information is missing, essential to the film. I had a lot of questions of the characters, mainly: "Why are you doing this?" Other than that a very good film. The main message is that you never really know what someone is going through at any time.

• Elegant compassionate modern and articulate

  bumbleBB2003-11-22

  This movie was shortlisted in the Best New Directors Finals at the Sao Paulo International Film Festival 2003 and in my opinion it should have won. It is a very original movie, complex and very articulate in its narrative. I am remarkably impressed by its tone and quality. An awsome film.