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Magic Men הבן של אלוהים

What we have here is a father and son road trip. An elderly Greek- Israeli Holocaust survivor and his Hassidic rapper son embark on a journey to Greece with absurd encounters which ultimately leads them to a final confrontation. Avraham is a magician who returns to Greece to try to and the man who sheltered him during World War II. Directors Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor follow in this familiar tradition, but instead of travelling to Poland or Germany, father (Makram J. Khouri) and son (Zohar Strauss) go to Greece.

We marvel at the splendid Greek scenery and glimpse the effects of the Greek nancial crisis. Avraham is contemptuous of his son’s piety, but is forced to be accompanied by his estranged son. The son’s religious conversion catalyzes a break with the father and becomes a symbol of generational rebellion (Uri Klein, 10/04/2014). Along the way they meet Maria (Ariane Labed) who plays the “usual whore-with-a-heart-of- gold.” The journey of this trio to nd the Greek magician who sheltered Avraham does not always unfold convincingly. (S. Farber, 1/18/2014). The movie is pleasant, occasionally unconventional, and we are carried along by touches of humour and enjoyable music. The plot is weak but who cares. The photography and the acting are excellent, also an occasional gag is sweet and funny. Khouri is superb as your standard crotchety geezer who’s scrappy on the outside, secretly sentimental and wounded on the inside, and admirable for his eccentric determination. Strauss brings surprising nuances to his portrayal, and Labed enlivens every one of her scenes.

Year: 2014
Language: Hebrew, Greek and English with English subtitles.
Format: PAL, works on any computer.

Reviewed by Dolores Luber

These movies are available free from the Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library at the JCC.

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