Harmonia

San Francisco–born writer and director Ori Sivan’s elegant, understated backstage musical drama is a modern day adaptation of the Sarah and Abraham biblical tale from the Book of Genesis. Luminous Sarah (Tali Sharon) is a talented harpist playing in the Jerusalem orchestra of her conductor and husband, the obsessed, fiery Abraham (Alon Aboutboul, A Place in Heaven, SFJFF 2014). Into their childless marriage enters the enigmatic Hagar (Yana Yossef), a Palestinian horn player who offers to provide the Israeli couple with a child. Years pass as Abraham and Hagar’s troubled prodigy, Ben (Itai Scherback), gfilms up having no idea who his birth mother is and becomes jealous of the attention given to his younger half-brother, Yitzhak. Yitzhak (Tamir Tavor) has issues of his own. Though a gifted violinist, Yitzhak is unable to perform even a single note at the hall filled to capacity for the debut of his father’s concerto. The film’s finale, an onstage reunion between the two siblings, is an emotional call for harmony between Arabs and Jews. During a rehearsal, Abraham attempts to summon forth the hidden intensity buried within the frustrated Yitzhak. The father reminds his son that the very best musical performances are “always between restraint and outburst. Between order and chaos. Just like life.” —Thomas Logoreci

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PREMIERE