SPECIAL REACTION: IT ALL BEGINS AT SEA (הכל מתחיל בים)

Directed by: Eitan Green
Country of origin: Israel
Starring: Yuval Segal, Dorit Lev-Ari, Ron Jaegermann

This week at the Syracuse International Film Festival, filmmakers from around the globe came and showed off their new arthouse films. There were movies from Korea, Japan, Iran, Canada, Italy, and Israel, where a true gem surfaced. Israeli cinema has very little presence in the medium, primarily because the constant war has left the country and its film fund poor and in shambles. The Israeli Film Fund is really the only real way to get finances for making a film, and when a filmmaker does get his hands on some money, it isn't much. Thus, the number of feature films to come out of Israel is minuscule. But prominent Israeli director Eitan Green brought his work to Montreal and New York and got a thunderous amount of acclaim. He began by telling his audience how he was very influenced by Japanese filmmakers, Ozu in particular, and therefore I thought it only appropriate to give this film the write-up it deserves.  

I was completely blown away by "It All Begins at Sea". Upon the film's end, I sat there, stunned at the sheer weight of the effect that it left on me. I can safely say that it was one of the best films I've ever seen in theaters, and it's a shame that we couldn't view it in 35mm. "It All Begins at Sea" is my kind of film; its values and its filmmaking styles are similar to my own interests. Its deep tone and execution seem identical with those of Yasujiro Ozu, Takeshi Kitano or other Asian auteurs. Like I said to Eitan in the Q&A, the film is so simple, yet so complex. The layers of meaning are just subtle enough to make the viewer truly think, and its context is one that the viewer can easily empathize with. The tone of the movie seems to vary between the three sections, maturing just like the mind and actions of young protagonist Udi. The word contemplative is so present in most of the elements of the film. The long, stoic stares of Udi. The fluid, paced tone of the narrative flow. The static shots and smooth tilts. Everything seems to benefit the message of the film. The performances of the leads are gripping, to say the least, and the situations where Udi is faced with death are simple enough to really move the audience. I was completely engrossed by this film, and in the third and most impressive part, everything really came together. The symbolism surfaces and a series of tie-ins make for an immensely satisfying conclusive twenty minutes. The hospital power-outage juxtaposed with the desolate sister's room and the parallels between Udi suspended underwater and the baby within the womb are so appropriate, and I can remember getting goosebumps as the realization of the film's motives so suddenly hit me. I fell in love with the characters and the varying tonal changes. The subtle drama mixed with the perfect amount of comic relief worked well. The three returns to the sea were timely and significant. In general, I can't say say enough about how well I enjoyed this film. While it is slow in a couple places, the realism of the piece is stunning. This film should win the festival, and I'd be willing to do whatever it takes to get my hand on a copy of it. I was so compelled, yet slightly sad as we left the theater, just because I knew I'd probably never be able to see the film again. Not often does a film move me like "It All Begins at Sea" did, and now my main goal is to get my hands on other Eitan Green films.

***** / *****