AllMovie

RED LEAVES follows the life of an Ethiopian immigrant in Israel --74-year-old Meseganio Tadela (played by Debebe Eshtu) -- who immigrated with his family 28 years ago. Rather than assimilate, however, the obstinate and nervous Tadela has chosen to stubbornly retain his culture, talks very little, and hardly speaks Hebrew. After losing his wife, he sells his apartment, vowing to live the rest of his life with his two grown sons -- whether they like it or not. However, during this journey to reconnect with family, the elderly Tadela comes to realize that he belongs to a rapidly disappearing class that believes in retaining Ethiopian culture against the backdrop of contemporary Israel. And as this harsh reality begins to hit him, he undertakes a fierce quest to pass on fading values to his sons, and an immigrant community, that have lost their way.