Under the Shadow of the Sun

As the movie begins, our protagonist is released after a long prison term. We follow him into a world that cares little about him, and we imagine his feelings (with the help of lighting, of a spare musical score, and-- oh, yes-- of understated but award-winning acting) as he stonily leaves them unexpressed in words. Then we encounter the movie's second lead, who is equally taciturn. That's a script problem, because the rest of the movie is largely about their relationship. The paucity of verbal interaction means that instead of complexity or subtlety, we need to settle for unpredictability. But we never stop caring about the protagonist.

Why the title? It seems almost as if it was plucked from the great All-Purpose Title bin. Maybe it's supposed to mean that although the sun shines for some of us, it consigns others to a life without brightness. The movie, as far as I could notice, provides no explanation.

It wasn't easy to watch this movie since its theme is really harsh: a man is released from jail where he spent 15 years for murdering his wife. He looks as if he is determined to start a new life free from crime and the first thing he does is search for his son, who is now 17. His search leads him to an appalling discovery, which will need even more determination and strength from the father. The setting is in or around Tel Aviv central bus station, which is a notorious area for crime and filth; and yes, the way it is portrayed in the film is unfortunately very real, up to the last detail. The film has a strong message and a few hypnotic scenes that make it even more special. The music by Ran Bagno softens a bit this terrible content and makes it more bearable to watch. And although the trauma is blatantly present, there's a light at the end of the tunnel.