No Names on the Doors
No Names on the Doors (Hebrew: אין שמות על הדלתות) is a 1997 Israeli drama directed by Nadav Levitan. The film was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Montpellier Film Festival, the Shanghai International Film Festival, and the Melbourne International Film Festival. It received two nominations for an Ophir Award in the categories of Best Actor and Best Screenplay.
| No Names on the Doors | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Nadav Levitan |
| Produced by | Uri Sabag Nadav Levitan |
| Screenplay by | Nadav Levitan |
| Starring | Chava Alberstein Mosko Alkalai Assi Dayan |
| Music by | Nachum Heiman |
| Cinematography | Valentin Belonogov |
| Edited by | Anat Lubarsky |
| Distributed by | Paralight Films |
Release date | January 1, 1997 |
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | Israel |
| Language | Hebrew |
No Names on the Doors is the third film in director Levitan's trilogy about Israeli kibbutzim, following An Intimate Story (1981) and Stalin's Disciples (1986).
Plot
The film is set on a modern kibbutz as the spectre of an Arab invasion lurks in the background and financial pressures are breaking down traditional communal values. A series of fragile, interwoven stories mirror this disintegration of collective ideals: a longstanding friendship between two 40-year-old bachelors (Danni Bassan and Meir Swissa) ends tragically when one decides to get married; a bereaved father is embarrassed to find himself attracted to his dead son's girlfriend (Dorit Lev-Ari); and a mother (Chava Alberstein) perpetuates the memory of her dead son by tending to his room as a memorial. At the same time, an elderly man (Mosko Alkalai) discovers a new, more loving relationship with his intellectually-disabled adult son (Avi Pnini).
Cast
- Chava Alberstein as Adina
- Mosko Alkalai as Kuba
- Assi Dayan as Uzi
- Avi Pnini as Israel
- Micha Selekter as Amos
- Dorit Lev-Ari as Aya
- Danni Bassan as Mordi
- Dan Wolman as Joseph
- Abraham Sandberg as GP
- Louise Zarchi as Shoshana
- Hekena Wallport as Suskia
- Shlomo Tarshish as Ely
- Meir Swissa as Simcha
Reception
Deborah Young of Variety wrote that Levitan's third film in his kibbutz trilogy "brings the action to the present day to show the sad dissolution of collective ideals that were these agricultural co-ops' raison d'etre. Though not exceptionally original, the fragile, interwoven stories have a sincere, heartfelt quality that should play well in specialized film weeks and venues."[1] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the movie "tender" and "moving".[2]
References
- Deborah Young (26 April 1997), "No Names on the Doors", Variety (accessed 1 December 2012).
- Kevin Thomas (6 November 1997), "Israeli Festival Begins", Los Angeles Times (accessed 5 December 2012).
External links
- No Names on the Doors at IMDb
- Israel Film Fund [Hebrew]