12 January 2012 | mstzu

9 | why I love this film

Whenever one sees an Israeli film that includes Arabs, one can assume a meaningful "message" will follow. And that does happen here but in a totally unpredictable way. This movie is about the power of love, but also the strength of love. The depicted relationship of the father and son transcend boundaries we may have seen before, let alone been lucky enough to experience personally. Selflessness, devotion, patience, persistence, and TIME. This miracle took 4 years to accomplish. (I couldn't help thinking that in the US after the initial treatment failures, this young man would have been institutionalized to remain lost in his personal limbo; insurance would not cover this therapy.) I realize I'm reading translations but even the language used by the father and son were poetic (not exact but "he is the blood that runs in my veins," "who can love her more than I," or when the son finally acknowledges his mother after 2 years, she says that the milk came into her breast as if he was newborn). An incredible confluence of events made this film possible. Please see it