Tehilim (2007) User Reviews

an unfulfilled attempt

[David_Moran · 9 October 2007]

Tehilim is a tale about a son dealing with a father's disappearance. it is also a very religious movie in this very sense, the father son relationship, or lack of it, resembles one's attempt to discover god in his life. faith and god are illusive elements and he who seeks redemption by finding one or both of them must endure some kind of suffering. in Tehilim, this suffer remains terribly untreated by the film's writers.

A documentary approach is taken by the director, which is somewhat subtle, but still voyeuristic enough to make us feel uncomfortable in front of some scenes. the main problem is, therefore, lack of real drama in the movie, and illogic occurrences that take place in some parts of the film. the strongest feeling that I had during watching it is "please, get to the point or finish." I don't want to write spoilers in this review, since the film debuts this week in Israel. I will only say that Tehilim is one of the strongest attempts ever made in Israel to make a truly religious work of art, but due to tragic screen writing failures this film is doomed to be an unfulfilled attempt. what a shame!

Awful movie

[stlouisluv · 1/10 · 25 August 2014]

After reading all the reviews for this movie I really thought I was in for a treat. This movie just made no sense to me at ALL. I forced myself to watch the entire thing before making assumptions. This movie just dragged on, gave no explanation for anything and it seemed like I was just watching the day and life of a typical Jewish family. It literally showed them waking up, eating, walking, etc and all in silence. I was just there waiting for SOMETHING to happen. Nothing did! The plot made no sense. At least provide of SOME kind of clue or reason why the father just decided to leave. Even the "car accident" scene was so lame. This whole movie just moved in slow motion. How it won/nominated for any award just boggles me.

Another Aesthetically Deplorable Film with No Ending

[steve1480 · 2/10 · 30 December 2013]

Oy! Again with the no ending. Okay, Israeli filmmaking hasn't been spared this malaise. Ya'know, it really isn't fair: these people know how to make films, they understand acting, editing, movement, color, the whole thing...except the ethics of storytelling. This is about the fourth time I have run into this menace on Netflix. The world of a movie is a closed world, an imaginary world and filmmakers have a responsibility to their viewers to tell a complete story. Either that or let us know we are watching the first reel of a serial to be completed in our minds. If a guy walks out of a film, as the dad does in this film, we, as those who have invested time in the offering - valuable time - have a right to a complete story. If the artists can't come up with a plausible ending they shouldn't make the film. If they can but insist on keeping us out in the cold so as to mimic our ignorance in real life or some such teaching position, then they deserve to have the plug pulled on them. I am figuring that the reason behind this particular filmmaker's sado-masochist (willfully withholding gratification) chop cut ending is some kind of political point he is trying to make regarding the futility of religious faith. Only problem is, they also have no faith in art and no real sense of literature. In the end nothing is inexplicable. Something always happens. There are reasons and stories behind everything. Everything. Maybe this is post-modernism, as in "Deal with it viewers, you have to manifest the ending in your own minds". Feh.

Heartwrenching

[kevinmarmstrong · 10/10 · 7 January 2008]

A great story that makes you think about how differently people react to personal loss. The pace and the camera-work make you feel like a privileged observer, even like a family member at times. The relationships among the family members are fascinating and seem genuine. The message about religion at the end of the film certainly sent me home thinking. I did not mean to see this film, as the one I wanted to see was sold out, and this was the first time that I I had seen an Israeli film. Try not to learn anything about the plot before you see the film. I saw the film with subtitles, which added texture to the viewing.

Pathetic attempt to make a movie

[sashairk · 1/10 · 14 September 2010]

The Israeli cinema, in general, has shown dramatic improvement for the last 10 years. Thus, I have seen many recently made Israeli movies that could easily be categorized as 'good', 'better' and 'excellent.' Alas, this movie shows that bad movies are still sometimes made there, too. I was really surprised by the rapt, ecstatic reviews given my some of the IMDb denizens. I normally very appreciate the mature, thinking crowd here. But now, guys, I'm sorry to say, it looked like a pseudo-intellectual exercise in making a vain attempt to give some meaning to the bad movie. Kind of reminded me of 'underlining metaphors' of the Vogan poetry from the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." I completely agree with the reviewer from Israel who gave it 1 star, was glad to find somebody sane at last. The movie had bad script (it looked like that they were filming without script at all, improvising on the fly), bad acting, terrible camera work, awful soundtrack. And if you really want to watch how a family handles the crisis of losing somebody close - watch another Israeli movie "Broken Wings", an excellent work in all respects.

Unsolved mystery

[hof-4 · 8/10 · 15 November 2015]

This is an unusual film. To begin with, the mystery of Eli Frankel's disappearance is never solved, which in my view makes the movie more interesting; real life is full of unexplainable, unresolved situations. Second, the movie is a pitiless indictment of religious fanaticism. The reaction of Menachem, the eldest son, his uncle Aaron and his grandfather Shmuel to Eli's disappearance is finding obsessive refuge in religion; prayers need to be said following strict rules, otherwise they will be ineffective. It doesn't seem to occur to anybody that there is a need to talk with people that Eli knew at work and elsewhere, that photos of Eli need to be posted on walls and newspapers or that a private investigator should be hired (the police is not able or willing to help, as would happen in any country). Nobody in the family seems to have the slightest curiosity about Eli's fate.

Uncle Aaron seems a rather good natured fellow, although somewhat inconsiderate with his sister-in-law Alma, Eli's wife (Alma's opinions or ideas don't seem to be very relevant to any of the male characters). Grandfather Shmuel is anything but a good fellow. He has an abusive personality; he refuses to understand that Alma wants some space for herself, a need that she clearly states. Shmuel's conversation with Menachem about the lost prayer books uncomfortably resembles a police interrogation (in fact, the policemen and policewomen in the movie are more gentle and caring than him). Cruelly, he insinuates that Eli's disappearance was caused by Alma's secularism. This probably does not mean that Alma is not religious, but that she is not as much of a fanatic as Shmuel (we see her celebrating the Sabbath with her family). Menachem idolizes his grandfather and, as the movie progresses, shows disquieting character traits that resemble those of Shmuel.

If anything, the tribulations of the Frankel family show that religious fanaticism (unlike genuine religion) does not coexist easily with plain, logical thinking or with the skills needed to survive in today's society. Then again, in a movie as open-ended as this one, conclusions are dangerous: for instance, does somebody in Eli's family knows something about the disappearance that the audience doesn't? And finally, the boundary fanatlcism/genuine religiosity is difficult to identify.

Acting is excellent throughout. Characters are fleshed out with skill, and the action progresses without slack. Music is haunting. First rate work by script writer Vincent Poymiro and director Raphaël Nadjari.

Israeli cinema at its very worst

[remervision · 1/10 · 11 October 2007]

This film has no direction, no script, no good acting performances, no humour, no feeling and no humanity. The plot and storyline is totally ludicrous and unbelievable. In addition to this the film is incredibly badly made with appalling camera work, terrible lighting and sound, and looks like it wasn't edited properly. It really is an amateur attempt to made a film. It's an embarrassment to the people who made it and should never be shown in public. It certainly has no place in Israeli cinema, or in any cinema. After it ended we felt like we had totally wasted our time sitting watching it. I cannot say one good thing about this film.

amazing study of characters in crisis

[noah-136 · 10/10 · 24 May 2007]

Tehilim is a great film, no question about it. It is a minute of examination of the different ways in which characters react to a crisis. Though the film is small in scale it is nothing short of riveting. At the end you realize that, though the distance traveled is very small and enormous amount has happened.

The lead actor, teen-aged Michael Moshonov, broods and lurks about the screen desperately searching for a focus for his anger at his vanished father. Truth seems to be Nadjari's motivation and he focuses his lens on the minutia of his characters' movements, revealing their inner struggles in a way reminiscent of Chekov. In a world overrun with films of artifice and manufactured drama it is so wonderful to discover a film that resists falsehoods and breathes truth.

Definitely look this film up and see it!

top prize in Tokyo film ex for Tehilim a very universal film

[charly78-1 · 10/10 · 5 December 2007]

Tehilim received top prize in the Tokyo film ex. The jury conducted by Lee Chang Dong wrote the following statement : "The mysterious loss of the father of an average Israeli family brings to the fore a universal problem of today's world - the lack of orientation. It is left to the individual whether to see this as a human subject matter, an intimate story or a reflection of Israeli society today. It is told in a personal style, which - as world cinema- transgresses borders and religions.". The film indeed doesn't provide answers, it create a dialectical process made of questions. Tehilim is not only universal, its approach is unique integrating improvisation and great researches on location. Its simplicity is its strength, proposing a genuine renewal in film-making in Israel.

TEHILIM is a modern tale, a silent movie of sorts.

[christophe-kopp · 10/10 · 9 June 2007]

Cinema is a pleasant fiction. God is a useful elaboration of texts and emotions. Religion is a useful fiction, a construction on absence and death. The Talmud is a bushy bunch of burning questions, to explore or not, for the Talmud is keen on democracy and freedom of speech. Contrary to formal logic, TEHILIM begins with answers, then makes way for questions, or rather the characters are living questions who touch one another sometimes, even hug when mother gives a cuddle to son. TEHILIM also turns us moviegoers into uncomfortably seated questions. TEHILIM is a short story, not a novel, which sails at full speed from illusion to allusion. TEHILIM is a beautiful tale, a silent movie of sorts, for us to make use of.