Assi Dayan delivers an imposing performance in this exposé of the perils of spirituality, as an Orthodox rabbi’s fixation with his calling causes him to neglect his family. Despite wife Sharon Hacohen’s urgings, Dayan is too wrapped in his books to appreciate his son’s guileless mischief. But while holidaying by the Dead Sea, he learns the full import of the sacrifice demanded of Abraham.
Beautifully shot, this intimate parable is full of imagery that suggests Griff’s growing awareness of the wondrous world around him. But the silences prove equally significant, conveying the alienation within the household.