Albert Illouz Movies

Filmmakers Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz revisit some of the characters from their 2004 picture Ve Lakachta Lecha Isha in this mordant examination of family life. It's 1991, the Middle East is still reeling from the impact of the Gulf War, and Ilana (Keren Mor) is an Israeli woman who has become a widow in the wake of her husband's unexpected death. After the funeral, members of the Ilana come to her home for the Jewish ritual of sitting shiva, in which the immediate family observes a week of prayer and contemplation as well-wishers visit. However, Ilana's family does not always get along, and as eight siblings and a number of parents, aunts, uncles and in-laws are brought together in close quarters, tensions rise to the surface over the course of the week. Haim (Moshe Ivgy) is a businessman whose firm is on the verge of bankruptcy after hiring a number of family members and close friends who've let him down. Viviane (Ronit Elkabetz) has left her husband Eliyahu (Simon Abkarian), though for some reason he thinks joining her for shiva will bring them back together, and she finds herself bickering with her sister and longtime rival Simone (Hanna Azoulay Hasfari). Jacques (Rafi Amzaleg) and his wife Lili (Yael Abecassis) are at each others throats, and Therese (Ruby Shoval) and Evelyne (Evelin Hagoel) sped most of their time in the kitchen, spreading malicious gossip about their relatives. Les Septs Jours (aka The Seven Days) was screened as part of the Critics Week series at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A teenager discovers he may be a genius, which turns out to be a less-than-welcome surprise to his family, in this comedy-drama from Israel. Shlomi (Oshri Cohen) is a 17-year-old boy who has unwittingly become the most important member of his household -- with his mildly-paranoid father (Albert Illouz) divorced from his mother (Esti Zakhem), busy supporting the family as a nurse. Shlomi cheerfully looks after his aging grandfather, cooks the meals, keeps tabs on his brother, Doron (Jonathan Rozen), and tries to keep the house clean. With so much going on, Shlomi doesn't have much time for (or interest in) his schoolwork, and he's more preoccupied with his girlfriend Tehila (Rotem Zisman) and his efforts to move their relationship to the next level; however, Shlomi's math teacher (Nisso Khavia) discovers that Shlomi has a rare gift for working with numbers and is eager to transfer him to another school where he can hone this talent. But Shlomi's family resists the idea, partly because they're not sure if he can do the work and partly because they don't want to see the family's anchor go away. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Though the direction of Hellbound is sometimes erroneously credited to editor Michael J. Duthie, the actual director was Aaron Norris, brother of the film's star, Chuck Norris. The story begins with the ritualistic murder of a Chicago rabbi. Detectives Shatter (Norris) and Jackson (Calvin Levels) are assigned to the case, and are compelled to follow the trail of evidence all the way to Israel (where the film was lensed in its entirety...even the Chicago sequences). Once in the Holy Land, Shatter and Jackson discover that the murderer is a centuries-old supernatural entity, a malevolent creature determined to "cleanse" the world. The premise is workable and Norris is in fine form, but the dialogue in Hellbound is too Ed Wood Jr.-esque. (Wait until you hear that conversation about a missing heart!) Filmed in 1992, Hellbound went directly to video in 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this actioner, a Middle-Eastern leader is threatening to detonate a nuclear bomb that he has planted in Miami and now a crack team of American and Russian soldiers must somehow stop him. This entry in the series is the first made without its original star, Chuck Norris. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi