These days, the world could use more sweet, mature, thoughtful romance, and Five Hours from Paris delivers it in spades.
Yigal (Dror Keren, of Adam Resurrected and Aviva, My Love) is, at first glance, a mild-mannered Everyman who maintains a close relationship with his ex-wife and her new husband because of his devotion to his son. Yigal drives a taxi for a living, and while he is a master of ground travel, he harbours a secret fear that stands in the way of his lifelong dream: he yearns to visit Paris but is petrified of flying.
Dropping his son off at choir practice one day, he catches a glimpse of the music teacher, Lina (Elena Yaralova), whose dark, dimpled beauty belies a growing emotional unrest. Dateless since his divorce, Yigal proceeds in small steps, even when Lina discloses that she and her physician husband, Russians by birth, will soon emigrate to Canada. Yigal insists he wants nothing more than friendship, and the two begin a tentative emotional minuet.
The abiding pleasure of Five Hours from Paris is experiencing the gentle albeit profound impact each one has on the other's life. They are unlikely lovebirds – Lina is highly educated and has lived in several countries, while Yigal has rarely left his Tel Aviv suburb – but he sees her in a way that her partner of many years does not. When Lina's husband learns of her emotional attachment to another man, she is forced to make an excruciating decision.
Five Hours from Paris is a remarkably assured first film from director Leon Prudovsky, delving into complex emotional themes for one so young. The script, co-written by Prudovsky and Erez Kav-El, allows Keren (one of Israel's most accomplished actors) and Yaralova to explore all the nuance and shy humour that characterize a new attraction. More importantly, though, the film underscores what we all want to believe is true: when it comes to love, what matters is not money or sex but soul and spirit.
Jane Schoettle
Leon
Prudovsky
was
born
in
St.
Petersburg,
Russia,
and
moved
to
Israel
at
age
thirteen.
He
studied
film
and
television
at
Tel
Aviv
University.
His
short
films
include
Dark Night (05),
which
was
nominated
for
a
Student
Academy
Award®,
and
Next Year in Toronto (07).
He
has
also
directed
the
television
film
Like a Fish out of Water (05)
and
the
feature
Five Hours from Paris (09).