Bliss

Shemi Zarhin is not only a filmmaker but also a novelist, and he doesn't mind using a large cast of characters in situations not always closely related. In this movie, it takes a while for the central dynamic of the plot to come to the fore while at the same time we figure out the family relationships of some of the characters. Early on, we understand that the male and female lead are in a healthy relationship but beset by challenges. The man loves his wife and at seventy-three he is still desirous of her; he uses the Hebrew word (echoed in the movie's title) that is translated as "covet" in the tenth commandment. And that kind of desire is contrasted, not too strongly, against the insatiable hormones of youth; and there's also the bond between parents and children thrown into the mix, and love out of bounds, and even the lust for money. It makes for a long movie, but it's anchored by two of Israel's most respected actors in the lead roles. There's more than twenty years' difference in their ages, but they deliver the goods.