Film Archive

A Place in Heaven

Official Selection - Competition 2013 / Makom Be Gan Eden / Israel 2013

Following Restoration, which won KVIFF 2011, Israeli filmmaker Joseph Madmony has turned in a masterful writer-director entry about a much decorated general who, years earlier, made a crucial mistake: with typical arrogance he exchanged his place in heaven for a plate of food. The central theme – a father-son relationship – is played out over the course of four decades of turbulent history in the State of Israel.

Synopsis

"Everything happens for a reason.” These introductory words, referring to a story that spans several decades in the life of a veteran soldier, describe both its destiny and its titular dilemma. A general nicknamed Bambi has an illustrious career behind him – indeed, he is regarded by some as the "savior of the Jews.” In accordance with Jewish law, however, this stern individual is allowed to exchange his place in heaven for an earthly pleasure: his favorite meal. Yet this is not the only event that proves hard going for someone who embodies indomitable obstinance and its bitter consequences. Will he succeed in achieving reconciliation with both himself and with a son who has chosen a difficult spiritual path beset by complications with women? This masterful work of production, performance, and direction captures the protagonist’s game-changing mistakes in all their rawness, as well as the wisdom he has acquired on his complex journey through life. The picture alternates sweeping moments with a knack for pragmatic shorthand, depicting a poignant story that touches far more than the life of just one character.

About the film

117 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Joseph Madmony / Screenplay Joseph Madmony / Dir. of Photography Boaz Yehonatan Yaacov / Music Ophir Leibovitch / Editor Arik Lahav Leibovich / Producer David Mandil, Moshe Edery, Leon Edery / Production MoviePlus Productions / Cast Alon Moni Aboutboul, Tom Graziani, Rotem Zisman-Cohen, Yossi Pollak / Contact MoviePlus Productions

About the director

Joseph Madmony (b. 1967, Jerusalem), a screenwriter and director in both TV and film, graduated in 1993 from Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem. He then began a successful career in television (winning the Israeli Academy Award for co-writing the miniseries "Melanoma My Love" / "Melanoma ahuvat", the film version of which was selected for the Montréal IFF). In 2002 he co-wrote and co-directed with his film school collaborator David Ofek The Barbecue People (Ha-mangalistim), winning awards at Mar del Plata and Houston. In 2011, Restoration won the Crystal Globe at KVIFF.