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“Footnote” review: A Cannes surprise
Joseph Cedar’s “Footnote” ranks as one of the best surprises of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
It had little buzz before its screening, and Israeli movies tend to focus on the long-standing conflicts with its neighbors in the region. This one, however, doesn’t even mention the conflicts.
Instead, it narrows its focus to Talmudic studies, and those who practice the extreme diligence of philology. It consists of comparing and collecting manuscripts and going over every word in an effort to re-create a true representation of Talmudic texts.
No one does this more meticulously than Eliezer Shkolnik, played by Israeli humorist Shlomo Bar Aba. Yet, after more than 30 years of research, his main claim to fame is being credited in a footnote by one of the most famous Talmudic scholars, Yaacov Nachum Epstein.
The Jerusalem School in Israel follows the tradition of textual reconstruction, but some see it as a bland pursuit.
And that’s the source of the movie’s conflict. Shkolnik’s son, Uriel, played brilliantly by Lior Ashkenazi, is a Talmudic studies superstar, abandoning some of the painstaking research and interweaves the text in a greater picture of ideological struggles and editing trends of what was once primarily an oral record.
Eliezer resents his son and disdains all the honors that are being bestowed upon him. In fact, he disdains all awards — until he finally gets one himself.
Cedar weaves through the conflict with cinematic ease and lowkey humor. He quick cuts between father and son when outlining their careers. And the face of the father reflects simultaneously his stubborn nature — and his complete confidence in his academic pursuits.
The battle between father and son might seem minor to people not familiar with Talmudic studies. And that might hamper the appeal of “Footnote” in some markets around the world. But the movie is more universal than it seems. Academic battles occur around the world, at nearly every university, and “Footnote” brings those intellectual conflicts to life in an amusing way.
It probably won’t win any major prizes, especially since expectations are so high for the movies in the coming week, including new ones by Terrence Malick, Lars von Trier and Pedro Almodovar. But “Footnote” deserves its due.
Actors from left, Yuval Scharf, Shlomo Bar-Aba, Alma Zak and Lior Ashkenazi pose during a photo call for Footnote at the 64th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Sunday, May 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)
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