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Yana's Friends
Runtime: 90 mins
Synopsis: The Gulf War provides the background for an unlikely romance in this 1999 Israeli film that won 10 national awards. Yana (Evelyne Kaplun), pregnant and in debt, is being left by her husband. When Saddam Hussein releases poison gas missile, Yana is forced to remain in her apartment with Eli (Nir... The Gulf War provides the background for an unlikely romance in this 1999 Israeli film that won 10 national awards. Yana (Evelyne Kaplun), pregnant and in debt, is being left by her husband. When Saddam Hussein releases poison gas missile, Yana is forced to remain in her apartment with Eli (Nir Levy), a wedding photographer who is easily charmed by women. Sealed in a bedroom, the two find they relate to each through one another's powerful stories. Set in 1991, this romance and two other unlikely pairings prove that love blooms when it is least expected. [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Evelyne Kaplun, Nir Levy
Reviews
Portrays not only the fear that Israelis live with every day, but also the difficulties in a nation where people are arriving from all over the world, not knowing Hebrew.
[Kaplun's] gentle, clear-eyed affection for his characters smooths out the film's rough edges and reminds viewers that friendship and even joy can be found during the most frightening times.
A small surprise at the end made me feel good about the whole movie, turning an amusing but slightly bland story into a winning experience.
Yana's Friends works best showing its characters coping with war uncomfortably close to home.
The movie won 10 Israeli Academy Awards and prizes at various film festivals. It's easy to see why.
A small, rather unfinished gem of a movie, but one that shines rather brightly nonetheless.
Yana's Friends isn't a black comedy, strictly speaking. But it somehow manages to find a surprising amount of humor in deadly serious and even potentially tragic situations.
Lots of charm and likeable characters add up to a delightful movie.
A tender, spirited look at love and community in the midst of war.
It is heartwarming and often funny, but in its lightness somehow misses the mark.
The film eloquently persuades us that it is better to laugh than cry and better to make love than war, messages that never go out of date.


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