The annual Jewish International Film Festival presents Asia, an emotionally resonant depiction of adulthood, illness, and relationships; but mostly, the societal pressures that come with these.
From all the multi-country films on this year’s program, I chose to see this film for two reasons – one, because it features the incredibly mesmerising Israeli actress Shira Hass, (known for her leading role in Netflix’s riveting Unorthodox, and two, because I knew it would be a refreshing, non-political tale of life in Israel, a tale that could bring a sense of humanity to the ‘war-stricken Israel’ that most foreigners know only from the mainstream media.
And that is exactly what it was. Ruthy Pribar’s debut feature film from Israel is a raw and honest piece of cinema that follows a young-mother-and-adolescent-daughter relationship. In an emotional wallop, the essence of their growing relationship revolves around the daughter, Vika (Shira Hass), coming to terms with her degenerative disease, and simultaneously, single mother, Asia (Alena Yiv) who is also a Russian immigrant, struggling with long work hours amidst her daughter’s heath crisis and her own ambiguous love-life.
As the mother-daughter drama is both a tale of adolescence and parenthood, it is a film that most people can resonate with, or at least learn a thing or two from. Certain plot-twists and the skittish manner of Asia’s character brought the film to an above average production and was a gentle reminder of the beauty and truthfulness of foreign films compared to Hollywood films. Also, in what I feel is a powerful move by Pribar, she seldom gives many explicit details of the plot, allowing for thought-provoking interpretations and a wrenching end scene.
In fact, when asked what she wants viewers to take away, her answer was: “I would like viewers to embrace the moments of laughter and grace in the film. I’d like them to hold onto the vibrant beauty in the fragile intimate relationship that evolves between a mother and her daughter”.
Asia is truly an important film for Brisbane audiences, as international film festivals such as this Jewish one helps break down many barriers. Although I must admit I cry in almost every movie, I could hear a few sniffles across the cinema room – so the chosen themes denoted in the film must have struck a chord with a wider audience.
Asia won the Tribeca Film Festival award for best cinematography and best actress and several academy awards.
Israel / 2020 / 85 min. / Fiction / Hebrew and Russian with English subtitles
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