Mabul

Year: 2011
Country: ISRAEL, FRANCE, BELGIUM
Run Time: 101 minutes

With phenomenal performances from a stellar cast, MABUL is a genuine and captivating coming-of-age story set in coastal Israel about the struggles of a dysfunctional family and the changes they must go through when their severely autistic older son returns home. The pressure on Yoni, their younger son, is already more than any 13-year-old should bear—with a drunk for a father, an emotionally distant mother, several bullies at school, and his Bar Mitzvah around the corner. So when Tomer, the forgotten brother who was previously institutionalized for autism, comes back into their lives, tension escalates. This is particularly true for Yoni whose frustration with Tomer culminates in his resentment towards each of his family members. Yet, as time moves on, each also discovers they have something to learn from Tomer. Even though his presence initially threatens to tear the family further apart, in truth it will teach them how to communicate with each other again, ultimately bringing them closer together. (In Hebrew with subtitles) – M.M.

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