fuzzycraig

This film was recommended to me by a fairly reliable source, and I have to say that despite the clichés of the script and some poor special fx, it wasn't so bad. Excellent acting by Gary Berghoff, Jason Miller, and a young Jennifer Skirkanich really enabled this film to rise above the genre.

It should be noted that the film does fall into the classic Hollywood trap of demonizing gays. Although Berghoff's direction and acting breathe some life into the character of fleck, it seems his homosexuality only serves to paint him as "crazy." Another problem in the realm of Fleck's sexuality, is the apparent confusion over his pedophilia (ie it;s never clear whether his interest in the kidnapped children is prurient or purely mercantile.)

in the end, it is Skirkanich's performance that saves the day.

Terrific acting and solid writing bolster this coming-of-age tale set in pre-intifada Israel, a morally corrupt place, where nobody seems to be doing the right thing. Particularly interesting is the teenage prostitute Sacha, through whom we see the psychological effects of continued sexual exploitation. Though this is not a story about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, per se, the conflict remains constantly in the background, further complicating the moral landscape. This is not a political film about who's right and who's wrong in the middle east, but rather a personal film about individuals trying to find their way in a particularly insane corner of the world.