Ha-Buah (2006)

Director:

Eytan Fox

Writers:

Gal Uchovsky (screenplay) &
Eytan Fox (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

The movie follows a group of young friends in the city of Tel Aviv and is as much a love song to the...

Plot Keywords:

Israel | Gay | Palestinian | Tel Aviv Israel | Soldier

Awards:

10 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Ohad Knoller	...	Noam
Yousef 'Joe' Sweid	...	Ashraf
Daniella Wircer	...	Lulu
Alon Friedman	...	Yali (as Alon Freidmann)
Zohar Liba	...	Golan
Tzion Baruch	...	Shaul (as Zion Baruch)
Oded Leopold	...	Sharon
Ruba Blal	...	Rana, Ashraf's Sister
Shredi Jabarin	...	Jihad (as Shredy Jabarin)
Yael Zafrir	...	Orna
Noa Barkai	...	Ella
Yotam Ishay	...	Chiki
Eliana Bakier	...	Dalfi (as Eliana Bekiyer)
Avital Barak	...	Dana
Lior Ashkenazi	...	Himself - Actor in "Bent"
Yossi Marshek	...	Himself - Actor in "Bent" (as Yossi Marshak)
Hussein Yassin Mahajne	...	Ashraf's Father (as Housin Yassin)
Eva Huri	...	Ashraf's Mother (as Eva Khoury)
Merav Shefer	...	Noam's Mother (as Meirav Shefer)
Ben Kitsony	...	Young Noam
Abed Darwhish	...	Young Ashraf
Zineb Darwhish	...	Young Rana
Anat Hadid	...	Young Ashraf's Mother
Ychie Darwish	...	Young Ashraf's Father
Nehaia Gmal	...	Ashraf's Neighbour
Alon Hamawi	...	Officer at Checkpoint
Nadav Netz	...	Soldier at Checkpoint (as Nadav Nates)
Dorin Munir	...	Pregnant Woman (as Dorin Munier)
Danny Segev	...	Doctor at Checkpoint (as Dani Segev)
Amir Shebi	...	Journalist (as Amir Sevi)
Mira Awad	...	Samira
Amos Fridlein	...	1st Café Interviewee (as Amos Fraidlin)
Gur Pipkovitch	...	2nd Café Interviewee (as Gur Piepskovits)
Anna Michal Landsman	...	3rd Café Interviewee (as Anna Michael Landsman)
Ayelet Margalit	...	Mrs. Tip
Micky Avital	...	'Third Ear' Salesman (as Miki Avital)
Dikla Sesh	...	Britney Customer #1 (as Dikla Sachs)
Gal Aylon	...	Britney Customer #2 (as Gal Eylon)
Irit Passy	...	Pop Idol Customer
Keren Menahem	...	Soap Store Clerk (as Keren Menachem)
Nira Rabinovitch	...	Friendly Customer (as Nira Rabinowich)
Orly Tobaly	...	Soap Store 1st Customer
Shira Rosenfeld	...	Soap Store 2nd Customer
Lilach Shalom	...	Clerk at 'Time Out'
Omer Solomon	...	Soldier in Jeep #1
Oren Berger	...	Soldier in Jeep #2
Nader 'Steve' Natur	...	Jihad's Friend #1
Tawfik Taia	...	Jihad's Friend #2
Ronit Shamir	...	Yali's Mother (as Chanit Shamir)
Moshe Rozen	...	Yali's Father (as Moshe Rosen)
Lior Maoz	...	Yali's Sister
Stav Miron	...	Yali's Brother (as Stav Meron)
Yaron Milgrom	...	Juggler
Dana Modan	...	Herself
Guy Pines	...	Himself
Ivri Lider	...	Himself
Miki Buganim	...	Himself (as Miki Bouganim)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Miki Kam	...	Lulu's Mother (uncredited)

Directed by
Eytan Fox

Writing credits
Gal Uchovsky		(screenplay) &
Eytan Fox		(screenplay)

Produced by
Ronen Ben Tal	....	producer (as Ronen Ben-Tal)
Leon Edery	....	executive producer
Moshe Edery	....	executive producer
Amir Feingold	....	producer
Micki Rabinovich	....	executive producer
Hilel Rozman	....	line producer
David Silber	....	executive producer (as Dudi Zilber)
Gal Uchovsky	....	producer

Original Music by
Ivri Lider

Cinematography by
Yaron Scharf

Film Editing by
Yosef Grunfeld
Yaniv Raiz		(as Yaniv Rize)

Casting by
Yael Aviv

Production Design by
Oren Dar
Nahumi Loz

Art Direction by
Ido Dolev

Set Decoration by
Or Ozrad

Costume Design by
Oren Dar

Makeup Department
Galia Azulai	....	makeup department head
Nili Lavi	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Sigal Barak	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mira Shoval	....	second assistant director
Idit Yavnin	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Dror Elhadad	....	props
Orr Uzrad	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Israel David	....	sound re-recording mixer
Itai Elohev	....	sound recordist
Neal Gibbs	....	foley editor
Ronen Nagel	....	supervising sound editor
Alon Shapira	....	boom operator
Gil Toren	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gil Toren	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Meir Arad	....	assistant camera
Karin Bar	....	still photographer
Eli Cohen	....	grip
Roi Mano	....	grip
Avi Satat	....	light master
Yuval Shachar	....	assistant camera
Alon Shapira	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dror Elhadad	....	props costumer

Other crew
Sharona Berger	....	script supervisor
Valérie Chabrier	....	press attache: France
Stephan Levine	....	french adaptation: dubbed version (as Stéphane Lévine)
Ilia Liberman	....	location
Richard Lormand	....	publicist: international
Robert Schlockoff	....	press attache: France

Thanks
Ehud Manor	....	dedicatee

Production Companies

• Uchovsky Fox
• Metro Productions (as Metro Communications)
• Ronen Ben-Tal Films
• Feingold Productions
• Israeli Film Fund (in association with)
• Keshet Hot (in association with)

Distributors

• Ad Vitam Distribution (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Alphaville (2008) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Strand Releasing (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Hot (2006) (Israel) (TV)
• Keshet Broadcasting (2006) (Israel) (TV)
• MK2 Vidéo (2007) (France) (DVD)
• PRO-FUN media Filmverleih (2007) (Germany) (all media)
• Strand Home Video (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
• Strand Home Video (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Strand Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• TF1 Film Vidéo (2008) (France) (DVD)
• TLA Releasing (2008) (UK) (all media)
• Twin Pics (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Cinéart Collection)
• United King Films (2006) (Israel) (all media)

Other Companies

• Alter Ego  French adaptation: dubbed version

Also Known As:

"The Bubble" - International (English title), USA (new title)
"Bubble" - Brazil
"Solos contra el mundo" - Mexico
"The Bubble" - Greece
"The Bubble" - France
"The Bubble - 4 Liebende, 2 Welten, 1 Grenze" - Germany (DVD box title)
"The Bubble - Eine Liebe in Tel Aviv" - Germany

Runtime:

USA:117 min | Israel:90 min | Canada:117 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Germany:114 min

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew | Arabic | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

France:U | USA:Unrated | Netherlands:12 | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Alenbi Street, Tel Aviv, Israel

Company:

Uchovsky Fox

Trivia:

The play that several characters go to watch in this movie is a real play, "Bent" by Martin Sherman, which was first produced in 1979 in London (with Ian McKellen in the lead role) and then in New York (with Richard Gere taking over for McKellen). The play is about the persecution of gay people at the hands of the Nazis, and was one of the first works to bring attention to that aspect of the Holocaust. The play was made into the movie Bent (1997).

Movie Connections:

References Batman Returns (1992)

Soundtrack:

First Day Of My Life

intelligent, moving, romantic melodrama

Here's one more beauty in the string of beautiful films directed by Eytan Fox. The movie presents the story of star-crossed lovers (one Israeli, one Palestinian)in modern Tel Aviv. The film's effectiveness comes not only from its depiction of cross-ethnic conflict, but of conflicts personal and political within ethnic groups as well. For example, there's a telling moment when one of the secondary characters, openly gay, is visited in the hospital by his boyfriend who brings him flowers and tries to kiss him in front of his visiting family, and suddenly we see a wave of awkward discomfort wash through the room. Clearly the young man is not as open as he seems, and the family not as accepting as he might want them to be, while the boyfriend is confused and rejected. A good deal of complexity is packed into a fleeting moment. As we know from Yossi & Jagger, Fox is a master at efficiently packing emotional and psychological complexity into brief sequences. The film is also effective for the even-handed way it presents the mutual brutalities that Israelies and Palestinians inflict on each other. If you're not heartless, you'll cry through the last third of the movie. Though the plot is melodramatic, it's so intelligently written and acted that it reminds us of how satisfying good melodrama can be.