Shiva (2008 film) explained

Shiva
Director:Ronit Elkabetz
Shlomi Elkabetz
Producer:Guy Jacoel

Yochanan Kredo
Elie Meirovitz
Eylon Ratzkovsky
Jean-Philippe Reza
Yossi Uzrad
Starring:Ronit Elkabetz
Albert Iluz
Yaƫl Abecassis
Simon Abkarian
Hana Laszlo
Moshe Ivgy
Keren Mor
Alon Aboutboul
Music:Michel Korb
Sergio Leonardi
Cinematography:Yaron Scharf
Editing:Joel Alexis
Distributor:Les Films du Losange
Runtime:103 minutes
Country:Israel
Language:French
Hebrew
Moroccan Arabic

Shiva is a 2008 Israeli drama film, also known by its English title as 7 Days, Seven Days and The Seven Days by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz. It is the second feature to be directed by the siblings following the unhappy marriage of Viviane Amsalem following 2004's To Take a Wife. In 2014 it was succeeded by the final film in the trilogy .

Plot

For seven days a large family of Moroccan descent observes the Jewish mourning ritual of shiva when a brother dies. Living together again reveals many tensions and conflicts between family members. Amid the tensions, the Gulf War rages in the background.[1] [2] [3]

Cast

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. Variety compared it unfavourably to To Take a Wife while at the same time praising the acting as "flawless".[4] The Jerusalem Post wondered "why they ha[d] been asked to spend two hours listening to the angry resentments of a disintegrating family, even if they admire the cast and co-directors' skill..."[5]

Notes and References

  1. http://www.euronews.net/2008/04/25/israeli-film-maker-ronit-elkabetz/ "Israeli film maker Ronit Elkabetz"
  2. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3544104,00.html "Israeli films favored in Cannes"
  3. http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/37275/israeli-family-sitting-shiva-finds-all-its-enemies-within/ "Israeli family sitting 'Shiva; finds all its enemies within"
  4. News: Weissberg. Jay. Review: 'The Seven Days'. Variety . 29 December 2015.
  5. News: Brown. Hannah. Movie review: Seven Days of anguish. The Jerusalem Post. 29 December 2015.