Movie No. 174 (2013): SWEET MUD
Sweet Mud (Adama Meshuga'at) (2006)
Director: Dror Shaul
Cast: Tomer Steinhof, Runit Yudkevitch
In Hebrew and French, with English subtitles
A young boy growing up in a progressive kibbutz has to deal with his emotionally unstable mother, developing a crush on a girl his age, and some ugly things he discovers about some people who populate the kibbutz. Conflict arises when his mother invites her Swiss boyfriend whom she met while being rehabilitated in a mental asylum. It's so clever for the script to use the copulating of unleashed dogs and the death of one as an excuse to ostracize the couple, resulting in the Swiss leaving the boy's mother. A plan to escape results in the discovery of a dirty secret that will change the lives of the young boy, his mother, and the girl that the boy has a crush on.
Director: Dror Shaul
Cast: Tomer Steinhof, Runit Yudkevitch
In Hebrew and French, with English subtitles
A young boy growing up in a progressive kibbutz has to deal with his emotionally unstable mother, developing a crush on a girl his age, and some ugly things he discovers about some people who populate the kibbutz. Conflict arises when his mother invites her Swiss boyfriend whom she met while being rehabilitated in a mental asylum. It's so clever for the script to use the copulating of unleashed dogs and the death of one as an excuse to ostracize the couple, resulting in the Swiss leaving the boy's mother. A plan to escape results in the discovery of a dirty secret that will change the lives of the young boy, his mother, and the girl that the boy has a crush on.
The film is a typical coming of age story, only this time it's set in a kibbutz system. Mental illness, conformity, and and culture are the center around which the story revolves. Watching it feels like being thrown into a completely different world. The film is practically perfectly acted. The cinematography captures the milieu very effectively. This a must-see for anyone who's interested in world cinema.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: October 12, 2013
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