Baba Joon (2015) is an Israeli film written and directed by Yuval Delshad. The movie is set in an Iranian-Israeli community on the edge of the Negev Desert. (Sometimes the characters speak Farsi, and sometimes Hebrew.) Although many films from Israel depict conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, this film doesn't. There's no sense of outward conflict. The conflict is between generations.
Navid Negahban plays Itzhak, who has learned how to be a successful turkey farmer from his father. (His father is alive and, although frail, still has the energy to be the "head of the household.") Itzhak is very good at raising turkeys, although he hates the endless work and drudgery.
Despite his own hatred of the work, Itzhak expects his young son, Moti to follow in his footsteps. Moti is played by Asher Avrahami, who had never acted before. He is superb in this role. There's not a single moment when he slips out of character. Moti hates turkey farming, and he dares to do what his father did not. He decides to leave the trade and follow his own interests and talents.
Moti's uncle (his father's brother) has left Israel and made a new life for himself in the U.S. He returns to visit the family, and that visit triggers off resentments that have been simmering for years.
This isn't an action-packed thriller. All of the scenes take place in the small, hot, dusty, farming region. The conflicts we see are family conflicts. In this sense, the story is universal. Should a young man decide on his own career and his own life, or should he follow the wishes of his father and grandfather? The greatness of this film is how the basic conflict plays itself out during the course of the movie.
We saw this film at the Dryden Theatre in the Eastman House Museum in Rochester, NY. It was shown as part of the excellent Rochester Jewish Film Festival. The movie carries an IMDb rating of 7.1, which is lower than it deserves, but not outrageously so. (See my review of "To Life.") It will work very well on the small screen. The DVD can be pre-ordered now (July, 2016). Find it and see the movie. (Just watching Asher Avrahami in the role of Moti will reward your viewing.)
