Muchrachim Lehiyot Same'ach

I saw this film in a group of 40-50 people, some of whom seemed to find meaning in it. I thought it was dreadfully boring and might have walked out, which I almost never do, if I hadn't brought three people along with me. Frankly, I found the film as shallow as a mirror, and the reactions of my fellow viewers appeared to me to be reflections of themselves rather than of anything contained in the film. Although several of the actors in this film do a nice job -- particularly Keren Mor as a sexually frustrated and unhappy wife and Yossi Pollak as the father of Simcha (i.e., Joy), played by Sigalit Fuchs -- the plot is neither credible nor interesting. One of the people in the audience had the nerve to compare "Joy" to "Annie Hall" and the director, Julie Shies, to Woody Allen. But one needs a microscope to uncover the comic element in "Joy" and Julie Shies's sensibility is similar to Woody Allen's only because they are both Jewish. The film is framed around Yom Kippur and the motif of "return" (minus repentance). I doubt that it will attract much of an audience in the U.S. and, if it does, I would wager that more film-goers will subscribe to my judgment than to that of those who seem willing to give it a higher grade simply because it comes from Israel. I've seen a lot of Israeli films and this is easily the worst.

In this paean to determination and sheer exuberance, Simcha, the title character of Joy, embarks on an attempt to reunite her parents with their estranged friends on the occasion of their upcoming 25th anniversary. She is aided in this effort by the glamorous but ditsy star of a reality TV show called "Gotta be Happy." The delightful Sigalit Fuchs lives the role of Joy as a younger Camryn Manheim, before Manheim, of The Practice, became permanently ensconced in her hardened bitch goddess persona. With her expressive clown face and eyes and her large body leaning into the wind of disappointment, Simcha survives the ineptitude and unhappiness that threaten to swamp her. She overcomes her married lover's exploitation, her brilliant brother's downfall, her parents' deteriorating condition and relationship, even the rudeness of the family friends she attempts to bring to her parents' party.

This is truly a film about happiness as the script by Omer Tadmor dramatizes Joy's persistence rather than her travails and infuses the stories of the parents and the brother with humor. Julie Shles' direction creates stunning moments of lyricism reminiscent of visually beautiful moments in Fellini's Roma. Particularly noteworthy are the nighttime scenes in the mall, as Joy's admirer, the mime, whisks her about in a magical ride, but the roadside reconciliation scene in the rain between Gil and his wife is also memorable.

The ending offers more poetry but withholds a clear resolution. Despite that, what stays with the audience is the wonder that underlies even mundane behavior and the knowledge that Simcha will continue to draw sustenance from her basic nature. While the translation is unable to convey as successfully as the title character's name does this optimism, the film suggests via their names that the other characters will also head in good directions: Yitzchok, the father, is "laughter," Chaya, his wife, is "life," Gil is also "joy," and Noah and Maya imply peace and contentment. Perhaps that is the point of the romanticized ending—that humanity and humor can overcome hardships and transform harsh reality into moments of flowing enchantment.

Come to think of it, it's all Sean Connery's fault. It's his time-proof grace and his long lasting abundance of charisma and sex appeal that made us all believe that getting old has nothing but nobility and wisdom and that it doesn't encompass the various physical and mental problems we were all told are the side effect of longevity. It goes without saying that contemporary society doesn't believe in "People are like wine, they get better with age".

Levin family has learned that lesson the hard way. Simcha (Sigalit Fuchs in a superb performance) is a 35-year-old overweight woman, living alone, in financial and mental destitute. The closest thing she has to a romantic relationship is a fling with a married salesman who gives her the caring and attention one would give to life partners that are, how shall I put it, Inflatable.

To make matters worse, Simcha has to watch her withering parents, living right next to the airport and losing every shred of respect and mutual fondness after 35 years of marriage. To add salt to injury, the father, Yitzhak (Yossi Polak) is betrayed not only by his friends from the past but by his own aging body from the present. His wife, Chaya (Rivka Michaeli) who grew to be a cynical and bitter person, spends the best part of her days listening to the Flight arrivals and departures from the Ben Gurion Airport. Even Gil, the "prodigy" son of the family, finds himself "let go" from the High-Tech company he works in. For various reasons, Gil can't find it in his heart to reveal that neither to his sexually frustrated and childless wife nor to his family that, for the lack of a better candidate, put Gil on pedestal.

Definitely not the kind of movies that Sean Connery stars in.

This nightmare-like routine lingers until Simcha sees in a reality do-good type of show, the opportunity to set things right for her family and maybe for herself. Her scheme is to use the TV show to reunite her parents with their estranged friends (over an incident we are oblivious to, most of the film). In the meantime, Simcha finds in an eccentric mime the soul mate to share her loneliness with.

Eccentricity is the defining characteristic of the film. By "eccentricity", I don't mean the little quirkiness we all hone in one degree or another, I mean the out of whack fringe people you see normally at Todd Solondz films. This quirkiness benefits some of the scenes by exposing the human frailty of Simcha and Gil but in other scenes, that very same quirkiness alienates the story from those who watch it.

That, as well as the slightly inconclusive ending, are the only drawbacks of the film and they barely tarnish the resonance of the film and its added value. Added value that is attained by the high nuance acting by all parties involved, the well constructed (although not perfect) script and mostly, by the skilled direction of Julie Shles. Shles shows us the human side of the characters not by embellishing their harsh reality but by demonstrating that its their love of life that elevates them above the unfortunate circumstances of existence. The existence of living a life that are a far cry from the ones imagined which most of the time is not as tragic as it sounds but in times, let's face it, it is.

9 out of 10 in my FilmOmeter.

One final remark. The names of the characters (Yitzhak, Simcha, Gil etc.) are all Hebrew names meaning Joy, Happiness and other "gaily" words, in complete contrast to the state of mind of the characters themselves. This choice was deliberate, according to the director and it what helps to accentuate their contradictory nature. I hope that the translated versions of the film will be allowed the liberty of name altering so the irony won't be lost in the screenings abroad.