Co-Sponsored by Birthright Israel Foundation/Northwest Region.
In this honest and emotional documentary, Israeli expatriate Saar Maoz lives in London, where he’s active in the London Gay Men’s Chorus and struggling with a new medication for HIV. Saar left the religious kibbutz where he grew up when he came out, but his parents and six siblings remain in Israel, and relations between Saar and his family are strained. Both of Saar’s parents—his stoic but sweet mother, and his patriotic firecracker of a father—want him to move back to Israel, but first they all have to address their own guilt and disagreements. Directors Tomer and Barak Heymann (Close Up: Heymann Brothers, SFJFF 2008) filmed Saar and his family over several years in London and kibbutz Sde Eliyahu as they navigated the choppy seas of familial loyalty and love. When Saar and his family come together for a bar mitzvah in Israel, both the warmth and the deep divide between them are palpable. Over coffee with his brother and sister-in-law, Saar confronts prejudice and fear, while another brother vows to stand by him no matter what. This is an unforgettable film about families broken and mended, with music by the London Gay Men’s Chorus weaving it all together.
—Tamar Fox
Winner, Panorama Audience Award, Berlin Film Festival 2016.
Director Tomer Heymann in person