"Aya" is a film set in Israel and is a strange sort of story about a woman who is waiting for someone at the airport. Oddly, however, when a man is looking for his driver to take him to a piano competition, she impulsively decides to pretend to be his driver and take him on the long drive from the airport in Tel Aviv to his hotel in Jerusalem. Exactly why she does this isn't really clear and they set off on this road trip across the country. The story is mildly interesting, though I kept waiting for that moment when everything would make sense or have a pay-off to make the film seem Oscar-worthy. However, this is not to say the film is bad, however. I really, really loved the cinematography and still wonder how they were able to film a few of the scenes. In particular, it's tough to film folks inside a car because there is so little room for a camera. So, they often do tricks like removing mirrors and windshields when you watch these scenes on TV or in films. And, usually the car is actually being towed--no one is really driving. Yet, there are a few shots that reveal that none of these tricks are happening at times. In fact, if anyone can tell me HOW they did all this, I would love to know, as in one case the camera is inside the car and then goes outside and around it--all in what looks like one take. Overall, this is a decent film with great camera-work but not much more.
