Footnote
An anti-establishment professor and his approval-seeking son enter into a heated competition against one another when their roles are suddenly reversed. Rising up through the ranks, Uriel always relied on recognition to fuel his sense of self-worth. His father, on the other hand, always shunned the spotlight. But when his father learns he is about to receive the highest honor rewarded in his field, the older man's vanity is revealed for all to see. Meanwhile, Uriel's intense jealousy drives him to consider the unthinkable.
Director: Joseph Cedar
Starring: Shlomo Bar-Abba, Lior Ashkenazi, Alisa Rosen, Alma Zak, Micah Lewensohn
Footnote is itself a perfect little piece of Talmud, full of text, commentary, and colorful argument.
It's one of the smartest and most merciless comedies to come along in a while. It centers on an area of fairly narrow interest, but in its study of human nature, it is deep and takes no prisoners.
Israeli writer-director Joseph Cedar imbues his tale of academic maneuvering, misunderstanding and mystery with the zest of passion and the zing of intrigue, It's a vivacious film, having its little fun with suspense-flick conventions (including Amit Poznansky's bouncing score) that build to a climactic finish.
It is a truism that academic arguments are so passionate because the stakes are so small. Footnote, a wonderful new film from the American-born Israeli director Joseph Cedar, at once affirms this conventional wisdom and calls it into question.
Footnote does function as a character study, an exceptionally rich one.
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Academy Awards (2012)
Best Performance by an Actor
Asia Pacific Screen Awards (2012)
Best Actor
Awards of the Israeli Film Academy (2011)
Joseph Cedar
Cannes Film Festival (2011)
Best Screenplay
Dublin International Film Festival (2012)
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