Because all Israeli movies must contend with low budgets, Israeli cinema tends to tell stories on a small scale. In contrast, A PLACE IN HEAVEN tries to attain a mythic scope in telling a modern story with Biblical echoes (rather like EAST OF EDEN), and surprisingly it succeeds. It can't incorporate a whole battlefront, but it manages to make one tank suffice. It uses vistas of open country to great advantage. It uses a generous roster of minor characters to suggest a richly conceived universe in which the story resonates. It shows action that spills past the edges of the screen. It has a script that unashamedly tackles big themes of generational continuity and karma, and actors who can sell the script. Madmony makes it all work without seeming affected, except maybe when he toys with turning the picture upside down.