Jellyfish (Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, 2007)

Region 1 Zeitgeist (USA)
NTSC, 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced
78 minutes
Audio: DD 2.0 stereo
Subtitles: Optional
Extras: video interview with the directors; theatrical trailer

Released: 30 September 2008
transparent keepcase

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Jellyfish is the first Israeli movie made that I’ve seen. I’ve probably seen some Hollywood productions that featured some scenes shot in Israel, but this production is clearly made by Israelis with a native understanding of contemporary Israelis. However, I don’t want you to get the impression that this movie is readily identifiable by “ethnic” markers or regional tropes. The young characters seem familiar and even “American” at times.

Despite strong associate ties between Israel and Judaism, the country could be described as a sort of melting pot in the Middle East, much as the United States is a melting pot in North America. This is due to the demographic composition of Israel, which became a destination for Jews from all over the world after World War II. Therefore, Israel has Jews who speak anything from English to Russian and may not necessarily understand Hebrew. Israel also has significant populations of Arabs with Israeli citizenship, displaced/refugee Arabs, and migrant workers from places such as the Philippines. Jellyfish reflects the multiculturalism that is a paradoxical facet of modern “Israeli” identity.

Jellyfish follows the lives of several women during the course of a few days. Batya is a waitress who is estranged from her parents, who only care about themselves. Keren, who just married a Russian Jew, hurt her leg on her wedding day, so she and her husband have to stay in Israel for their honeymoon. Joy is a Filipina caretaker who misses her son. One young woman, an angsty photographer, reveals that it was difficult to communicate with her parents sometimes because they were Holocaust survivor; therefore, she didn’t feel like she had the right to ask them for anything.

The movie doesn’t have a “standard-issue plot”. Rather, it’s a slice-of-life observation of intersecting paths. Various characters sometimes inhabit the same frames, but unlike American movies such as Paul Haggis’s Crash and Stephen Gaghan’s Syriana, the characters don’t affect each other directly. In this regard, the directors walk down the path taken by Krzysztof Kieslowski with the Three Colors Trilogy.

Although the movie doesn’t really have a central character, Batya carries the directors’ hopeful outlook. The movie begins with Batya’s boyfriend moving out of their apartment. She seems unable to communicate, even to bid him farewell. During the course of the movie, she takes care of a young girl who emerges from the sea wearing a body tube. The young girl is clearly a metaphor for Batya’s own childhood. At the end of the movie, Batya plunges into the ocean and emerges as a refreshed, rejuvenated person who has shaken off her emotional wounds.

Video:
This is a pleasing 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image, though the image frequently has a warm, glowing softness attributable to the Middle Eastern sun. For the most part, though you get a clean, detailed picture.

Audio:
The DD 2.0 stereo audio track has strong verbal reproductions and occasionally vibrant music cues. This is a basic, low-key audio experience, which is appropriate for a movie about normal, everyday activities. The characters speak a dizzying array of languages, including Hebrew, Yiddish, German, English, and Tagalog.

Optional English subtitles support the audio, though only for non-English dialogue. I wish that Zeitgeist had encoded a second subtitle stream with all of the English dialogue subtitled, too, because the characters speak English with heavy accents.

Extras:
The main bonus feature is an extended video interview with the directors, who provide a lot of insights into their movies, their different approaches to art, and their personalities. The directors speak in English, though I wish that this interview also had a subtitle stream because the directors speak with heavy accents.

You also get the theatrical trailer.

--Miscellaneous--
An insert booklet provides chapter listings, a Filmmakers’ Statement, and movie & DVD production credits. The transparent keepcase showcases a cover insert with artwork on both sides.