- Little Jerusalem (film)
Infobox Film
name = Little Jerusalem
image_size =
caption =
director =Karin Albou
producer =Laurent Lavolé Isabelle Pragier
writer =Karin Albou
narrator =
starring =Fanny Valette Elsa Zylberstein
music =Cyril Morin
cinematography =Laurent Brunet
editing =Christiane Lack
distributor =Océan Films
released =May 16 ,2005
runtime = 96 min
country =France
language = French, Hebrew, Arabic
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:330712
imdb_id = 0428965"Little Jerusalem" ( _fr. La Petite Jérusalem) is a
2005 French dramafilm directed byKarin Albou . The film saw a limited release in the United States onJanuary 27 ,2006 . Albou's film depicts how the conflict between the rational and the irrational drives the relationships within a Jewish family living in the outskirts ofParis .Plot
Laura, played by
Fanny Valette , is aJewish philosophy student who has put Kantian reasoning above all emotions, including love. In the film, Laura's interaction with Djamel, anmuslim coworker played byHédi Tillette de Clermont-Tonerre , exposes how Laura struggles to live by her rationalist principles as she succumbs into her feelings for Djamel. However, as Laura admits to feeling affection for Djamel, she is upset when she learns that they cannot have a life on their own because Djamel cannot afford to confront his family. Western philosophy has also made Laura very skeptical of the teachings of theTorah , undermining her relationships with her orthodox Jewish family. Her family consists of her mother, her sister Mathilde (Elsa Zylberstein ), her devout brother in-law Ariel (Bruno Todeschini ), and her young nieces and nephews.Ariel and Mathilde's troubled marital relationship reinforces the film's theme of conflict. Mathilde (Elsa Zylberstein ) is a woman who strictly abides by the traditions of the Torah, and believes sexual pleasure is forbidden. Ariel does not want to ask his wife to do things in bed that only he enjoys, and has an extramarital affair, for he does not dare to encumber his wife's modesty. Mathilde, however, seeks advice from the woman at themikvah , or ritual bath, who corrects her and reassures her that Jewish law does not forbid pleasure in conjugal relations. As the film progresses, Mathilde gains more comfort, and the happiness in her marriage is reclaimed.The passing of time is marked in the film by Jewish holidays, beginning with
Rosh Hashanah and more specificallyTashlikh . We also witness the community celebratingSimchat Torah andPurim .Cast
*
Fanny Valette as Laura
*Elsa Zylberstein as Mathilde, Laura's sister
*Bruno Todeschini as Ariel, Mathilde's husband
*Hédi Tillette de Clermont-Tonerre as Djamel
*Sonia Tahar as the mother of Laura and Mathilde
*Michaël Cohen as Eric, student friend of Laura
*Aurore Clément as the woman at the mikva
*François Marthouret as the philosophy professor
*Saïda Bekkouche as Djamel's aunt
*Salah Teskouk as Djamel's uncleExternal links
* [http://www.lff.org.uk/films_details.php?FilmID=749 London Film Festival]
*imdb title|id=0428965|title=Little Jerusalem
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