People are voting emotionally.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Imagine a film with an in depth story that will keep you guessing. Imagine a film that has exceptional acting and interesting characters. Imagine a film that is just as gritty as it is beautiful. Imagine Jaffa, one of the greatest films you will ever have the pleasure of seeing.Jaffa tells a remarkable story about a dysfunctional Israeli family that owns an automotive repair shop. The family's problems drive the story to places that you would never expect it to go. This is not a typical film at all. Just when you think you have it figured out, it throws a curve ball and leaves your jaw wide open. Jaffa is full of secrets, lies and betrayal that will keep you entertained until the credits roll.Think of all the elements that make a movie great. Jaffa has all of those elements maxed out. It's a must see film for anyone that likes movies. It's a masterpiece.

Leftist Israelis make up this fantasies. They invent a fake reality of Arab - Israeli love and understanding. In this respect this movie is just like the the "Egyptian Band". In reality in Jaffa nobody calls Israeli Arabs "Palestinians" both Jews and Arabs refer to them as "Arabs".The marriages between Arabs and Jews are rare, and only extremely rare survive beyond just a few years.The hope that this movie is trying to instill in the hearts of the naive viewers is false.In summary: a tragic waste of talent to make such a false movie.

I was fond of Keren Yedaya's first feature, Or, so I was looking forward to her second. I found it a bit underwhelming. Dana Igvy returns as the lead, but here her performance is less impressive. I think what I missed most was the naturalistic tone, this felt more contrived and artificial. Perhaps this would have been less problematic if the film had some kind of style to it, but it's rather flat. Despite this, it's not a bad movie... the characterizations are reasonably compelling and so forth. It just didn't really grab me, and I don't think it adds all that much to the Israel-Palestine discussion. Still, I'm interested in what else Yedaya has to offer.

Jaffa, an Israeli film whose title refers to a part of Tel Aviv, is an excellent and moving drama. I wish movies like this got more press and had more fame. The story is sad, realistic and compelling.The movie begins in the family owned garage of an Israeli family, where father, son Meir, and daughter Mali, work alongside a young Palestinian named Toufik. Meir is not the model son- rebellious, angry, ungrateful and disrespectful towards his parents and everybody else, he steals the attention from his quiet younger sister. No one suspects that she is having a love affair with Toufik and that they are secretly planning on getting married.Religious and other tensions start building between the two young men, Meir and Toufik, and the outcome is shocking and devastating. Mali makes an extremely difficult sacrifice, depriving herself of a normal life by keeping hidden a truth which only she knows.All of the actors are magnificent. The father is particularly memorable, always kind, trying at times to be a little bit stern, understanding of everyone throughout the film until his final, harsh condemnation. The ending is extremely powerful- completely unexpected and expected at the same time. Mali finally makes a choice for herself and we are left hoping that her life will be a happy one.This film brought me to tears on several occasions. I watched it without Fabio as I wasn't sure what to expect and now highly recommend it to him and all of my readers.My rating: 9/10 Please visit http://paulinasmovies.blogspot.com and become a follower to read more reviews!