Broken Wings
by Al HoffA fractured family of five in Haifa struggles to get by after the untimely death of its paternal head in this drama from writer/director Nir Bergman. Mom (Orly Zilberschatz-Banai) is stretched to the limit at her midwife job, and leaves much of the care of her troubled children to her 17-year-old daughter Maya (Maya Maron). Maya, naturally, would prefer to be with her bandmates, who have caught the eye of a record company. Over the course of a couple days, a good bit of melodrama seems to befall them all -- from broken cars to grave medical emergencies to suicide attempts to a couple of budding relationships. The point is to depict a broken family of broken individuals trying to re-form and move forward, but the conceit is a trifle obvious. It's a sincere effort, supported by good lead performances, and a restraint that at least keeps the upheaval from sliding into gooey sentimentality. In Hebrew with subtitles. 
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