Broken Wings

Colour, 35 mm
Israel, 2002, 87 min
Section: Another View
Oficiální stránky: www.brokenwings.com

Synopsis

Walking a line between drama and comedy, Broken Wings relates the tale of a family which manages to stick together despite the series of crises fate has prepared for them. Tragic misfortune comes the Ulmans’ way. Desperate Dafna, a mother of four, must fight alone for her emotional and financial survival, and her kids only add to her troubles. Five-year-old Bar can’t come to terms with his loneliness. Ten-year-old Ido tries to scare away sorrow with risky jumps into an empty swimming pool. Teenage Yair drops out of school and instead earns a little money distributing flyers in the subway. And seventeen-year-old Maya, who helps her mother take care of the younger kids, is torn between feelings of anger and guilt. But an unexpected accident unites the family once again. They find the hope they need to heal their wounded hearts, and perhaps they’ll once again be able to spread their broken wings and fly.

About the director

Nir Bergman (b. 1969), screenwriter and director, was born in Haifa. After a year spent studying the liberal arts at Tel Aviv University, he transferred to the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem, graduating with honours in 1998. His graduation film, Sea Horses, was screened at forty festivals and garnered ten awards, including Best Film at Lodz and the Munich student festival. Broken Wings is the director´s feature debut. In 2002 the film received several significant awards: Best Film and Screenplay at the Jerusalem IFF, Best Film Grand Prix at the Tokyo IFF, an Israeli Academy Award and the John Schlesinger Award for Best Feature Debut at the Palm Springs IFF.