Haifa
I was reading a review of Broken Wings, an Israeli film (from 2003) set in Haifa about a family who lost its patriarch (to a non-war related death) and is trying to deal, both individually and collectively. One of the reviewers dismissed it as 'unrealistic' asking: "where are the Palestinians, the bombs and the soldiers?"
Now, I hope that in the past 3 years I've helped those who haven't been to Israel to understand our daily life, the beauty surrounding us, and well, the normalcy of our lives. But that question made me realize that it would be very easy for people to think that all of Israel can be incapsulated in what they see on the news.
And I am aware of how much Haifa has been in the news as of late. But our life is simply not portrayed on the news. My daily concerns involve the fact that I live on the side of a mountain, where everything is either uphill or down; the fact that I live in a climate that includes a summer that is about 3 excrutiating months longer than I care to endure; and the fact that I live a lot further away from family than I care to be anymore.
We're not trimming unpleasant things out of our photos for you, this is our life, in peace-loving Haifa.
Comments
hey, we just watched that and liked it. have you seen it? i knew the critics would bring in the politics, but i spent the entire time trying to recognize where in Haifa the scenes were filmed.
dorkyhead, i know.
lvoe frormleila
Posted by: leila | September 17, 2006 4:23 PM
You silly dorkyhead! I was checking the reviews because I read your blog! Hahahaha.
Posted by: Mara | September 17, 2006 4:44 PM
okay, like, whatever. it's a bit harrowing, but real. moments of delish, humour, and pretty. PLUS, look no further for a fantastic appetizer for the upcoming winter (i think it was totally filmed during winter). and it got a ridiculously high score in rotten tomatoes, which is my bible for movies these days, although i liked Aeon Flux way way better than a measly 10%, even though the script was rubbish.
love from leila
Posted by: leila | September 17, 2006 6:31 PM
yeah, I know. I still think I'll pass for now. Two reasons:
1. Dealing with a dead parent is a little too close to home right now. I don't feel like thinking about that at the mo'.
2. When I heard how the father died, it too hit a little too close to home, as it happens to be something my father is very susceptible to as well (even though I don't think anyone thinks him dying that way is very likely - I just don't need to see that it actually could happen that way). Not right now.
Oh yeah, and Leila, we were totally looking for places in Haifa we recognized just in the trailer. :-)
Posted by: Mara | September 17, 2006 6:50 PM
That was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed when I was in Haifa. I first saw it in the cinema without English subtitles, and I was so rivetted at the very Filipino-ness of the plot that I bought the DVD and understood it better. Even with the English subtitles, it had a very Filipino-ness.
Like Mara, who has a very Filipino-ness in her.
I showed the movie to my family in Manila; my niece did not realize until then the reality of domestic living in Israel in the face of unexpected yet mandatory deaths in the family.
Posted by: Paul Ancheta | September 24, 2006 9:45 AM
Aww, shucks, Paul. I'm really touched. Thanks.
Posted by: Mara | September 24, 2006 12:10 PM