SYNOPSIS:
Chen, a young kid, is battling a cultural conflict between his Russian born mother and Israeli father. She is cultured and used to the finer things in life, including theater and fine dining. He is gruff on the outside but sweet on the inside - a Sabra; and looking to make his young son a man rather than the wimp his mother is raising. One day, Chen stumbles upon a ballroom dance class for young people and sees Natalie, a stunning Russian young girl he falls in love with immediately. His interest in Natalie leads him to taking ballroom dancing and to ultimately bridging the cultural divide of his own family - through the Cha Cha and the Tango. The teachers are a pair of former Russian world champions who never quite fulfilled their potential, but find themselves battling their demons through the instructions of the kids.
MOVIE REVIEW:
We do not claim to be experts when it comes
to the business of movie distribution, but we are assuming
it does not make much sense to release a film on DVD years
after it was screened in theatres. Sure, this Israeli may
not have made it to local cinemas after it was made in 2006,
but why did the distributor decide to release it after five
whole years later?
As the film played on the TV screen, we scratched
our heads, searching for answers in our minds. We finally
figured out a reason when we saw a ballroom dancing scene
– the distributor must be hoping to cash in on this
popular pastime which is increasingly trendy amongst locals.
Another reason why we think this DVD will
catch the attention of masses is the use of kids as protagonists.
The main lead here is a young boy who has a Russian mother
and an Israeli father. He sees the very different characteristics
of his parents – she, a very refined mother; while he,
a very curt father. He chances upon a ballroom dance lesson
one day and experiences love at first sight with a young girl
taking the class. He decides to join the class and is soon
sashaying his way to bridge the cultural gap in his family.
A foreign film like this always has the ability
to charm local viewers with its authenticity and rich cultural
flavour. Here, director writer Eitan Anner uses young people
to make the 97 minute piece of work even more accessible.
Through universal themes like achieving your goals, realising
your potentials and materialising your dreams, this film speaks
to any viewer who once had a dream, regardless of nationality.
The movie may have nothing new to say in terms of storyline,
but a feel good message is always welcome in this increasingly
unfeeling society we live in.
Child
stars Vladimir Volov and Valeria Voevodin shine as the two
young protagonists of the film. They have a sparkle in their
eyes that will have you believe that dancing can really drive
your troubles away. As the music for cha cha and the tango
dominate the air waves, you wish that you took up ballroom
dancing when your bodies were more flexible. It doesn’t
matter that you don’t recognise any of the cast in this
well made movie, because there are certain things in life
which knows no boundaries, and this film proves that dancing
is one of them.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The
movie's visual transfer is clear and pristine, and you can
watch it in its original Dolby Digital 2.0 Hebrew and Russian
track.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
Posted
on 17 April 2011
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