Bena

This is the gripping story of three fragile souls whose lives intersect at the precarious border between loneliness and desperation. Amos is a widower struggling to care for his schizophrenic teenage son, Yurik. At an inopportune moment, he meets Bena, an undocumented Thai immigrant in danger of being discovered by the authorities. He invites her to live with them and help care for Yurik, whose violent outbursts are becoming unbearable. When both Amos and Yurik begin to fall for her, Bena is caught in a disturbing love triangle between the overbearing father and unstable son. She must make a choice: Will she risk imprisonment in Israel to escape their emotional trap? Director Niv Klainer makes a stunning feature film debut with this insightful drama that unfolds through sparse dialogue and nuanced performances. You won’t soon forget the guarded eroticism of Amos and Bena’s hair cutting scene or the animalistic climax of Yurik’s final, and tragic, breakdown. Klainer also offers a rare glimpse into the hidden world of Israel’s migrant workers and invites a comparison with society’s marginalization of the mentally ill.