Ahuva Keren Movies
In this docudrama based on true events, a mid-'80s Michigan housewife finds her life turned upside down when a vacation to Tehran with her Iranian husband turns into virtual imprisonment for her and her young daughter. Betty Mahmoody (Sally Field) is reluctant to visit the wartorn homeland of her doctor husband, Moody (Alfred Molina). But, depressed about the racism of the American medical establishment and pining for contact with his family, Moody convinces her to join him for a two-week jaunt. The Islamic fundamentalism and strange customs of Iran bewilder and frighten Betty and her daughter, Mahtob (Sheila Rosenthal). But nothing prepares her for Moody's announcement that the family will be remaining in Tehran indefinitely. Despite beatings and more pervasive psychological control from her husband and his relatives, Betty makes it to the Swiss embassy (there is no American ambassador at the time). There, she learns that as the wife of an Iranian, she is now automatically considered a citizen and that she has absolutely no parental rights over Mahtob in this country. Betty then endures several years as a virtual prisoner, escaping only with the help of Westernized Iranian friends. Based on the book by the real-life Mahmoody and William Hoffer, Not Without My Daughter was coincidentally released during the long build-up to 1991's Gulf War. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Field, Alfred Molina, (more)
- 1991
Despite the almost endless parade of films from Israel which deal with excruciating political or social problems in a profoundly intimate, even myopic fashion, escapist comedy is a much-desired commodity there. This ground-breaking comedy received the Wolgin prize from the 1991 Jerusalem Film Festival at least partly as an acknowledgment that it sticks to comedy and avoids preaching of any kind. In the story, Shuroo (Moshe Ivgi) is an inveterate con man who has come up with perhaps his most skillful scheme: a self-fulfillment program for the spiritually impoverished. After getting interviewed on a television talk show, he is able to gather a group of loyal followers who are happy to have their pocketbooks milked of funds. This proceeds smoothly for him, and he meddles in the lives of his latest dupes, with comic results, until word of his unsavory background begins to get out and the tables are turned. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharon Hacohen
- 1981
A trio of lower-income workers: Milton (Oshik Levi), a factory worker, Teresa (Rachel Dayan) a secretary, and Danny (Dov Glickman) an on-and-off security guard have been friends for a long time and share a common interest - they need more money. How they go about attaining that objective occupies most of the film, and takes them into and out of very unusual situations. Throughout their quests, it is clearly apparent that no one in the trio has a good grasp of the difference between day-dreams and fantasy, and the real world around them. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
When the Ceremonial Police Band of Alexandria, Egypt, journeys to a gig in Israel, they can hardly anticipate getting stuck in a rut. But upon arrival at the Israeli airport, their hosts and transportation fail to show. So begins first-time director Eran Kolirin's fish-out-of-water comedy The Band's Visit (aka Bikur Hatizmoret, 2007). Trapped in a middle-of-nowhere desert town, the group members try to figure out what to do and where to go. In desperation, two of the musicians -- conductor Tawfiq (Sasson Gabai) and playboy Haled (Saleh Bakri) -- accept an invitation from sexy café owner Dina (Ronit Elkabetz) to bunk at her residence, and seemingly within no time, the unlikeliest of interracial (Israeli-Palestinian) romances begin to blossom -- not only between Tawfiq and Dina, but between Haled and local wallflower Papi (Shlomi Avraham), whose night together at a roller disco turns into a veritable comedy of errors. Meanwhile, the remainder of the bandmembers room with local resident Itzik's (Rubi Moscovich) family, which produces overwhelming conflict and innumerable tensions. As the days roll on, the co-mingling of Egyptian bandmembers and Israeli residents imparts each individual with insights into his cultural identity and that of the others. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sasson Gabai, Ronit Elkabetz, (more)
