Clara Hakedosha (1996)

Clara Hakedosha (1996). 1h 25m

“As I watched this movie, I was unsure whether it was trying to present a realistic image of common Israeli lives, or if it was complete fantasy. It had the wacky characters and a cinematographic/color style reminiscent of Pedro Almodovar films, although with absolutely none of the exuberance. The featureless architectures colored in dreary pastels, located in grassy nowheres, then juxtaposed in other scenes with environments covered in concrete, lent a very odd and bleak feeling to the film. Buildings seemed devoid of humanizing artistic style–although the style of the film itself was very distinct. Every place seemed deserted, even when there were pedestrians around (walking in all directions without apparent regard to the paths of roads and sidewalks, somewhat like zombies). Often, there was what looked like cement plants nearby, as well as glass objects handy for shattering. The sky seemed to be perpetually overcast, or in twilight, except in the night scenes. Fortunately, there were no references, visual or otherwise, to religion or Israelu0026#39;s governmental politics. If there had been, it would have created a familiarity, corrupting the weird vibe of the filmu0026#39;s environment. It was like watching the inhabitants of a semi-abandoned wasteland, a place which could exist anywhere.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis was an interesting film, and I donu0026#39;t know if Iu0026#39;ve ever seen anything quite like it. Was it entertaining? Iu0026#39;m still not sure, although as a comedy, it wasnu0026#39;t really about laughs, but more about quirks.”