film review; when personal conflicts mix with regional ones - new york times

film review; when personal conflicts mix with regional ones - new york times get home delivery log in register now home page my times today's paper video most popular times topics tuesday, november 13, 2007 movies world u.s. n.y. / region business technology science health sports opinion arts art & design books dance movies current releases coming soon critics' picks dvd box office shopping cart music television theater style travel jobs real estate autos film review; when personal conflicts mix with regional ones print save by stephen holden published: january 18, 2002 one of the catalytic forces in ''time of favor,'' joseph cedar's tricky thriller about political tensions in contemporary israel, is rabbi meltzer (assi dayan), a charismatic teacher who quotes maimonides on the subject of martyrdom for one's beliefs: a dead lion, he preaches, can be more alive than a living dog. those are fighting words that can easily be taken the wrong way. ''time of favor'' is about the near-catastrophe that ensues when pini (edan alterman), a young soldier who is the star pupil in the rabbi's yeshiva, takes his teacher's words too literally and plans a terrorist attack to blow up the dome of the rock, the ancient islamic monument, in the heart of jerusalem. the movie, which won six israeli academy awards (including best picture), has its narrative glitches and incongruities. but as it builds to a series of life-or-death showdowns, it evokes the volatile political climate of israel today with an unsettling intensity. much of the story takes place in a beautiful but desolate settlement on the west bank where the rabbi lives with his rebellious daughter michal (tinkerbell). the tensions between the orthodox rabbi and his smoldering daughter mirror the social and political conflicts that galvanize the film's characters into a state of high alert bordering on paranoia. the story, told through the eyes of menachem (aki avni), a highly respected commander of a militant army unit composed entirely of orthodox members of the yeshiva, takes the axiom that the personal is political and gives it a savage twist. as the movie opens, menachem, pini and itamar (micha selktar) are best friends as well as dedicated comrades in arms. pini is especially elated because the rabbi has hand-picked him to be his daughter's husband. michal has other ideas about her future. when pini visits her, she informs him bluntly that she isn't attracted to him and that he should abandon his suit. but the rabbi advises pini not to take no for an answer. meanwhile michal throws herself at menachem, who is her heart's desire. although he initially resists, he eventually warms to her advances. but the rabbi is adamant that pini win the prize. yet it is to no avail. pini's rejection and his fury at what he sees as his friend's betrayal incite a desperate act to realize the rabbi's often verbalized fantasies of israel's controlling the temple mount at the center of jerusalem. what distinguishes ''time of favor'' from countless other thrillers is its underlying concern with the consequences of words and with the complicated emotions fueling terrorist acts. rabbi meltzer, whom mr. dayan imbues with rough-hewn belligerence that can be slightly ominous, is as smugly arrogant as he is eloquent, and his agenda doesn't go unnoticed by the israeli secret service. the coalescence of his orthodox students into a militant unit is viewed as a potentially dangerous power play. but when confronted with his inflammatory rhetoric, the rabbi insists he has been misinterpreted. the wild card in the deck is michal, who despises life in her west bank settlement and longs to live in the city. her glowering, willful sensuality and her contempt for politics make her a perfect pawn in pini's demonically vengeful plan to make menachem appear to be a traitor. and tinkerbell's sullen, heated performance gives her character the chaotic force of an old testament temptress. ''time of favor'' is quite crudely directed. the action sequences, such as they are, often feel forced and stagy, and the movie has an intrusive musical soundtrack that strains to push emotional buttons. although mr. avni's menachem exhibits a bluff easygoing authority, the performance is emotionally unreadable. as michal works her spell on menachem, the actor does nothing to indicate his change of heart or to suggest an internal struggle. this stick-figure hero, who endures a humiliating interrogation without a twitch of anxiety, leaves a movie that wants to be a searching moral examination of human motivation under stress frustratingly opaque at the center. time of favor written and directed by joseph cedar; in hebrew, with english subtitles; director of photography, ofer inov; edited by tova asher; music by yonatan bar-giora; produced by david mandil and eyal shiray; released by kino international. running time: 98 minutes. this film is not rated. with: aki avni (menachem), tinkerbell (michal), edan alterman (pini), assi dayan (rabbi meltzer) and micha selktar (itamar). more articles in movies > home world u.s. n.y. / region business technology science health sports opinion arts style travel jobs real estate autos back to top copyright 2007 the new york times company privacy policy search corrections rss first look help contact us work for us media kit site map

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