Tehilim (film)

Tehilim
Tehilim
	Film poster
Directed by	Raphael Nadjari
Written by	Raphaël Nadjari ; Vincent Poymiro [fr]
Produced by	Geoffroy Grison; Fred Bellaiche; Marek Rosenbaum; Itai Tamir; Noah Harlan
Starring	Michael Moshonov; Limor Goldstein; Yonathan Alster; Shmuel Vilojni; Yohav Hait; Ilan Dar; Reut Lev
Cinematography	Laurent Brunet
Edited by	Sean Foley
Music by	Nathaniel Méchaly
Distributed by	Haut et Court
Release dates	20 May 2007 (Cannes); 30 May 2007 (France);
Running time	100 minutes
Countries	Israel; France
Language	Hebrew

Tehilim is Raphael Nadjari's fifth feature film. It was shot in Jerusalem in 2006. Tehilim in the Hebrew word for Psalms.

Plot

In contemporary Jerusalem, a small Jewish family leads an ordinary life until following a car accident, the father mysteriously disappears. They all deal with his absence and the difficulties of everyday life as best they can. While the adults take refuge in silence or traditions, the two children, Menachem and David, seek their own way to find their father.

Cast

Michael Moshonov - Menachem
Yonathan Alster David
Limor Goldstein - Alma
Shmuel Vilozni - Eli
Ilan Dar - Shmuel
Yoav Hait - Aharon
Reut Lev - Deborah

Format and release

The film was shot in HD, using prime lenses. The film was released in France by Haut et Court, in Spain, Belgium and Germany and exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York^[1] the following year.

Tehilim received top prize in the Tokyo Filmex.^[2] The jury conducted by Lee Chang Dong wrote the following statement: "The mysterious loss of the father of an average Israeli family brings to the fore a universal problem of today's world - the lack of orientation. It is left to the individual whether to see this as a human subject matter, an intimate story or a reflection of Israeli society today. It is told in a personal style, which - as world cinema- transgresses borders and religions".^[3]