Dina Doron

As a financially-faltering kibbutz in Galilee, Israel is forced to file Chapter 11, many of its residents - adult men, adult women and children - pack their belongings and take flight before the bailiffs can arrive and formally shut down the community. Thus begins a long exodus out of the commune and out of the city. But in their departure, the emigrants neglected to bring with them a dozen senior citizens who share a special residence inside of the kibbutz, and when the new contractor (who has been hired by the foreclosing bank) arrives, the presence of the elderly individuals naturally surprises him. Never ones to be daunted, the seniors band tightly together and vow to rebuild the kibbutz singlehandedly. Jarmen Unkovsky, Mosko Alkalai, Dina Doron and Hugo Yarden star; Jonathan Paz directs, from a script by Joshua Sobol. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A couple sets out to find the perfect bride for their son, whether their son likes it or not, in this Israeli comedy. Zaza (Lior Louie Ashkenazi) is a graduate student in his early thirties who has finally found the woman of his dreams -- Judith (Ronit Elkabetz), a Moroccan immigrant with a daughter, Madonna (Sapir Kugman), from a previous marriage. Zaza and Judith have similar interests, a great personal rapport, a keen understanding of one another's feelings, and excellent sexual chemistry, but for Zaza there's one little problem -- his parents. His mother Lili (Lili Kosashvili) and father Yasha (Moni Moshonov) are bound and determined to marry their son to a nice Georgian Jewish girl (who is, of course, a virgin), and they not only disapprove of Zaza's relationship with Judith, they insist on fixing him up on dates as if he isn't in a committed relationship; when that fails to make an impression on {%Zaza, Lili and Yasha use emotional blackmail against their son, and Lili even goes so far as to confront Judith and insist she stop seeing her son. Late Marriage was shown at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard series; Lili Kosashvili, who makes her screen debut playing Lili, is actually the mother of the film's writer/director, Dover Kosashvili. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide