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	Broken Wings
	Nir Bergman Orly Silbersatz Banai, Maya Maron, Nitai Gaviratz, Vladimir Friedman, Dana Ivgi, Danny Niv, Daniel Magon, Eliana Magon 2002		Israeli cinema isn't particularly familiar to English-speaking filmgoers. A finely wrought movie such as writer/director Nir Bergman's cut-to-the-bone drama "Broken Wings" should change that situation. Set in contemporary Israel, it doesn't address the Palestinian conflict in the least. Yet, "Broken Wings" has tragedy to spare, as a father's death nearly destroys his surviving wife, two sons and two daughters. In the wake of Dad's demise, the Ulman family is dysfunctional and miserable. Maya (Maya Maron), 17, is already deferring her dreams, although she's eager to pursue a career in pop music. She can't compete in the Haifa battle of the bands, because she has to watch her troublemaking 11-year-old brother and her 6-year-old sister while their mother (Orly Silbersatz Banai), brutalized by her husband's death, works the hospital night shift as a midwife. Yair (Nitai Gaviratz), Maya's 16-year-old brother, is a numbed-out slacker who refuses to bother with his mother or siblings. It looks like things couldn't get much worse, but heedless behavior may foment more sorrow. No matter how high or low their status, people must deal with the passing of a loved one. So "Broken Wings," a portrait of one family facing that crisis, has universal appeal. Even if it's just short of unrelenting in its agony, it deserves to find a wide audience.


	Wednesday, November 13, 2024





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