Starring Joy Rieger, Doron Tavori, Nelly Tagar, and Rafael Stachowiak
Rating: ★★★
Two sisters, Sephi (Rieger) and Nana (Tagar), uncover their father’s past from WWII.
The intentions of this drama are in the right place, by having a great story and some good performances. However, the events tend to be a bit too dramatic and the storytelling becomes uneven.
Its story is a gripping emotional journey. When two sisters have the opportunity to uncover their father’s past, each sister approaches the situation differently. Sephi is doing well as a vocalist and composer at a music academy, but digging too deep into her father’s past might squander her ambitions. On the other hand, Nana is the rebellious child who has health issues, but is eager to learn about her father. This dynamic adds pressure to the situation for all parties involved. Sephi gambles her future, Nana risks her health, and the father has his reputation on the line.
Once digging up the past becomes a joint effort of the two daughters and father midway through, the story telling becomes uneven. The father attempts to tell his recollections of the story by giving his children a new piece of the story each week. Although this may sound entirely for dramatic purposes, it is understandable, considering the father wishes to disclose his past carefully. Now that the father is telling us the whole story, this means the daughters no longer have to dig for dirt. This results in Sephi’s continuing her practice in music, while Nana battles an illness. Nana’s illness has a purpose, for she is driven to this weak state of health due to her father’s past treatment and his rocky past. However, the illness can feel like a dramatic ploy, as it is used in the building of a moment, along with a snippy comment made towards the end. To some viewers, the glass might be half empty or full in whether or not Nana’s declining health adds anything to the story.
While Sephi and Nana are doing their own things, the film will abruptly cut to the father giving a passionate diary reading of his past. These sequences make the storytelling feel choppy and thrown off. For example, Sephi practices piano and a German composer (Stachowiak) approaches her to help with the piece. After their brief encounter, the film cuts to a point where we are smack in the middle of the father balling his eyes out and a daughter about to throw up. The flow makes the storytelling uneven, which is unfortunate for this captivating tale.
An aspect of this film that could make the viewer’s themselves throw up is the character of Thomas Zielinski played by Rafael Stachowiak. The miscast of Stachowiak brings an unnecessary eerie feeling to the film, with Zielinski acting as a creepy guy. Stachowiak’s look is reminiscent of the Joker in The Dark Knight, with disheveled orange hair and a smug look. Whenever Zielinski speaks, it is in a wonky Tommy Wisseau accent which sounds oddly soft. Additionally, Zielinski has a shlew of creepy moments, like when he attempts to lure Sephi to an underground nightclub, or asks if she needs company while in a bath towel. Zielinski also refers to himself as a, “sexy bad boy.” If Zielinski were not such a creep, this character could bring out the best in Sephi and her musical ambitions.
Although Rafael Stachowiak’s portrayal of Zielinski is horrifying, the other performances are fine. The two sisters played by Joy Rieger and Nelly Tagar mesh well with one another. Rieger is nicely reserved, while Tagar brings a lot of spirit and drama to her role. But the standout performance comes from Doron Tavori, who plays the father. Tavori puts a lot of emotion into his diary readings and brings life to the horrors his character experienced in the attic. There is also a suspicious edge to Tavori, because of his snarling look and serious tone.
Despite mentioning earlier the choppiness of the story flow, there are some beautiful moments in editing. In particular, there are times where the characters are alone, the light vanishes, and a spotlight casts on their faces. As they look up, we experience a point-of-view shot facing the floorboards which served as a ceiling for the attic. These profound instances can transport the viewer into a moment of hopeless and fear.
Although there are some flaws, the film’s intentions are in the right place. It wants to be a dramatic rollercoaster full of emotions, but it overreaches at points. The story alone is compelling enough, but it can feel a little too dramatic at times. Still, it manages to grip the viewer from start to finish with the crazy story, strong performances, and points of nice editing techniques.
