Our Father

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that is a common motif the protagonists in films often have to go through. Unfortunately many couples out there have trouble with conceiving children, and those people would give anything for the chance to have a baby. These unfortunately common problems are the driving force that makes the Israeli film Our Father an excellent drama.

Tel Aviv nightclub bouncer Ovadia (Moris Cohen) is the toughest and most respected bouncer at the Sky Club nightclub he works at, defending patrons and fighting unruly drunks and troublemakers that need a reminder of his power. Ovadia does not have as much power outside of work, where he and his wife Rachel (his real life wife Rotem Zissman-Cohen) have tried unsuccessfully for five years to conceive a child. When Ovadia is offered great money to work on the side as a local gangster’s debt collector, Ovadia takes it up, but both him and the debtors end up in a world of hurt.

Playing as part of the Jewish Internationally Film Festival, Our Father is an engaging drama that deserves all the acclaim it has gotten. The film was nominated for 12 Ophir Awards, which are the Israeli Oscars, and Moris Cohen won the Best Actor award at the Jerusalem Film Festival for his great performance, and rightfully so. You can see the conflict in eyes before having to bash people he does not know for money. In fact, the acting is great all around and is what carries the film, and the tension is strong throughout the film.

If you are going to see any films at the festival, definitely go and see Our Father.