Cinema
Life According to Agfa
החיים על פי אגפא
Assi Dayan · 1992
Synopsis
Tel Aviv, a single night, in a pub called Barbie run by Dalia, a woman approaching fifty who ends every night with a man she has just met; Samir, an Arab, works in the kitchen. Nimi, a wounded lieutenant colonel, arrives with his noisy soldiers, then Ricky, a depressed young woman whom her psychiatrist has asked not to stay alone. The soldiers harass her; Benny, a policeman, leads her away from them and, on his way out, slashes the tyres of their car, for which they blame Samir. Liora, a waitress at the pub, shares Benny's life.
Context
The film was produced by Rafi Bukai and Yoram Kislev, with Yoav Kosh on cinematography. Shot from March to June 1992 thanks to a grant of three hundred thousand dollars from the fund for quality Israeli cinema and a grant from the Broadcasting Authority, it was released in September and drew some three hundred and fifty thousand viewers, at a time when cinemas were emptying. Songs by Leonard Cohen accompany it, and Danny Litani plays the pub singer. Gila Almagor plays Dalia, Shuli Rand Benny, Irit Frank Liora and Akram Tillawi Samir.
Who it is for
About an hour and forty minutes, in Hebrew. It helps to know that Barbie, the name of the pub, is short for the Abarbanel psychiatric hospital.
Prizes and reception
Nine Ophir Awards; best film at the Jerusalem festival; special mention for the director, in competition at Berlin; Israel's candidate for the Oscar.