A Tale of Love and Darkness (film)
A Tale of Love and Darkness | |
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Directed by | Natalie Portman |
Screenplay by | Natalie Portman |
Based on | A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz |
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Cinematography | Sławomir Idziak |
Edited by | Andrew Mondshein |
Music by | Nicholas Britell |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
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A Tale of Love and Darkness (Hebrew: סיפור על אהבה וחושך, romanized: Sipour al ahava va'khoshekh) is a 2015 drama film written and directed by Natalie Portman in her directorial feature debut. Based on the memoir of the same name by Israeli author Amos Oz, it takes place in Jerusalem in the last years of Mandatory Palestine and the first years of independent Israel. It stars Amir Tessler as Oz, and Gilad Kahana and Portman as his parents. It was screened at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival[3][4] and in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[5]
Plot
Amos reflects on his early childhood in British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel) with his mother Fania and father Arieh. His parents are Ashkenazi Jews who have immigrated from Europe to Jerusalem. Amos's mother finds life difficult because Jerusalem is a desert, because her family lives in Tel Aviv, and because communication with them is difficult. Amos, an only child, is particularly close to his mother, who frequently tells him stories based on her childhood that often have unhappy or violent endings.
Amos's parents regularly lend him out to a childless couple they are friends with. On one occasion this couple take him to visit a friend of theirs, a
On November 29, 1947, Amos' family and others from the neighbourhood gather around a radio in the street to hear the passing of
Soon afterward,
Although the war soon ends in defeat for the Arabs, Fania falls into
Years later, Amos goes to live on a kibbutz, where he works to fulfill his mother's dream of making the desert bloom. During a visit from his father, a teenaged Amos shows off his new life but admits that despite his attempts at being a strong and healthy farmer, he is still a pale and weak intellectual.
Decades later, an elderly Amos Oz sits down to write his memoirs, beginning with the word, "Mother".
Cast
- Natalie Portman as Fania Klausner née Mussman
- Gilad Kahana as Arieh Klausner
- Amir Tessler as Amos Klausner (child)
- Makram Khoury as Halawani
- Yonatan Shiray as Amos Klausner/Oz (teenager)
- Shira Haas as Fania Mussman (young) / Kira
- Tomer Kaponas The Pioneer
- Neta Riskin as Haya
Production
According to Portman, she optioned the rights to the book over tea, while visiting with Oz and his wife. It took her eight years to write the script and find funding, during which time she insisted that the adaptation remain in Hebrew.[6]
It is the second film in which Portman speaks
Portman recruited designer Alber Elbaz to design the costumes she wore in the film.[8]
In March 2016
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% out of 58 film critics gave the film a positive review . The website's critical consensus reads, "A Tale of Love and Darkness suggests greater things for debuting writer-director Natalie Portman — even if its reach slightly exceeds her creative grasp."[10] Critical aggregator website Metacritic awarded the film a score of 55, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11]
References
- ^ "A Tale of Love and Darkness (2016) - Box Office Mojo". Retrieved January 12, 2017.
- ^ Avraham Carmeli, Hila Maimon (November 2016). "Cinema in Israel, Annual Activity Summary 2015" (in Hebrew). Center for Information and Cultural Studies. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- ^ "2015 Official Selection". Cannes. Archived from the original on April 18, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ Jaafar, Ali; Tartaglione, Nancy (April 16, 2015). "Cannes Film Festival 2015 Lineup - Full List: Gus Van Sant's 'Sea Of Trees', Todd Haynes' 'Carol', Pixar's 'Inside Out'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ^ Punter, Jennie (August 18, 2015). "Sandra Bullock's 'Our Brand Is Crisis,' Robert Redford's 'Truth' to Premiere at Toronto". Variety. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ^ Galloway, Stephen (May 6, 2015). "Natalie Portman Sounds Off on Israel, Netanyahu, French Anti-Semitism and the "False Idol" of Oscar". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ "A Tale of Love and Darkness - Production Notes" 2015
- ^ Minow, Nell (August 2016). "Interview: Natalie Portman on "A Tale of Love and Darkness"". Belief.net. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ^ Spencer, Jake (March 7, 2016). "Focus World Acquires Natalie Portman's 'A Tale of Love and Darkness'". IndieWire.
- ^ "A Tale of Love and Darkness". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ "A Tale of Love and Darkness critic reviews". Metacritic. August 25, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2021.