The Clock Is Ticking

The Wedding Plan 

Stars: Noa Kofer, Roni Merhavi, Amos Tarnam, Iril Sheleg, Dafi Alphem, Erez Drigues,  and Oz Zehavi Director/Scriptwriter: Rama Burshtein
Cinematography: Amil Yasour
Composer: Roy Edri
Norma Productions
Set in Israel, Hebrew language with subtitles
Rating: No rating but could be PG 13
Running Length: 110 Minutes
Actress Noa Kofer won the Best Actress Award at the Haifa International Film Festival

What is a wedding without a groom?  Such is the premise of this romantically inclined film from director/writer Rama Burshtein. I say “romantically inclined” because the title gives the mood away and romance is there, and yet it isn't. Such is life. Actress Noa Kofer won a Best Actress Award for her portrayal of a woman who thinks she is in love and getting married, only to have everything fall apart. The camera is on her face a great deal of the time and her facial expressions and the timing between expressions is quite good. This is a lesson in acting.

Michal (Noa Koler) is engaged to Gidi (Erez Drigues) and they are close to being married. So close, in fact, that the reception hall is rented, and they are sampling the food for the reception. Alas, things fall apart between then, and Michal is left to either admit defeat (again as she is in her thirties) or start over and keep that wedding hall reception date. Go girl.

This is where plenty of faith comes into play, as Michal is an Orthodox Jew and firmly believes God will provide her with a husband who will love her---all this in 30 days. We are now on a roller coaster of potential husbands set up by a matchmaker, dealing with relatives, carrying on her work, and trying to find a dress. Work, by the way, is a portable petting zoo that Michal takes with her in a large van and entertains children at parties. There is also a snake. Michal does find someone who is attracted to her, Yoss (Oz Zehavi) a rock musician, and Michal is one of his fans. Life on the road? Hmm, must think about it. THE DATE is getting closer and husbands are getting scarcer. Will faith win out? By the way, this film does have a rockin’ soundtrack.

The subtitles are just enough to give the audience information without becoming weary. You can easily see what is happening here and body language tells part of the story. Noa Koler is expressive as an actress, and so is Oz Zehavi as the rock star. The camera also centers on his face where there is the barest of twinkles in his eye and it is clear he likes all women. Who would have thought having a petting zoo as an occupation could be interesting, but even the snake here gets screen time.

The film is set in Israel and the audience gets a view of the smaller towns in Israel, basic apartments and life with plenty of family around.  There is a longing here of a person who wants to be married, be happy and not be alone anymore. This is the center of it all. No more single, but forever a couple.

Copyright 2017 Marie Asner