by Eleanor Mannikka
synopsis
Loosely based on a popular novel by A.B. Yehoshua, this love story is set in 1973 in Israel. Unlike the novel, the film focuses on three things: a mother's personal crisis as she approaches menopause, her husband's reaction to her difficulties, and her daughter's first sexual awakening. The catalyst for these behavioral changes within the family is a handsome stranger who evokes a torrid response in the wife that sets a series of crises into motion. Meanwhile, the Yom Kippur War looms on the horizon as the future of Israel heads toward another milestone -- and another period of uncertainty. Controversy over a love scene between an adult male and a 15-year-old girl helped to spark interest in the film before its 1985 release in Israel.
