Noble Savage

Almost everything in 15-year-old Eli's (Neveh Tzur) life is on the brink of disaster. Overweight and dealing with an eating disorder, he lives in a seedy Tel Aviv neighborhood with his mother (Liat Ekta) and her possessive husband, two ex-junkies preoccupied with living a normative life, while his alcoholic father (Alon Aboutboul) is an unemployed artist and street philosopher. In this impulsive, violent world, Eli tries to escape his parents’ fate and be the responsible adult, but his attempts at family reconciliation lead only to anger, bitterness and ultimate catastrophe. This disturbing but beautifully acted and humane examination of anguished characters fighting to overcome their circumstances is a cinematic adaptation of Dudu Busi’s eponymous novel. (Atlanta Jewish Film Festival)