Cinequest Film Festival day one
Today I saw two films. The first was “Apples From The Desert” set in present day Israel. It is a marvelous portrayal of a young woman, 19-years old, still living at home with her ultra-orthodox Jewish parents. Her aunt makes an early appearance that hints that the women in this family may be less bound to Jewish religious traditions than the father. The daughter decides to run away after learning that her father intends to “give” her to a middle-age widower with three children. I won’t say anymore to avoid spoilers but will hint that the women decide they’re tired of the patriarchy. For anyone who is secular or even just religiously liberal who wishes to gain a better understanding of the tensions between the previous and current generations in devoutly religious communities this is a must see.
The second was “Children of the Arctic”. It was a fascinating look into the culture of native Alaskans and how the teenagers handle the clash between their ancestors culture and modernity. The movie suffers a bit from an unclear timeline (the temporal relationship among the scenes isn’t always clear). Nonetheless, if you want to see an honest portrayal of what life is like for present day Eskimos I highly recommend this film.