This lovingly crafted Israeli film neatly combines kinky eroticism, drama, and quirky comedy. An interlocking series of stories are all observed or heard about by 14-year-old Nadav (Aviv Elkabets), who, beneath his glasses, braces, and bad haircut, suffers tortured longing for his sexy aunt, Nina (Ayelet July Zurer). He and his adult friend, Menahem (Dov Navon), peep at Nina through her apartment windows as she gets undressed, masturbates, or makes love to her husband Haimon (Yoram Hatav). Nadiv's father (Shmil Ben-Ari) left the family to join a yeshiva, and when Haimon dies in a terrorist bombing, mom sends Nadav to live with Nina. It's Nadav's dream come true, until his aunt falls for an overly emotional photographer (Alon Aboutboul) and starts seeing her dead husband walking naked down the street. Nadav can't take playing third fiddle to an older man and a ghost, so he moves in with his dad, who's dying.
Gabizon's film sparkles with nuance, odd coincidences, and hilarious, sudden plot digressions; and the warm color photography and Zurer's naturalistic beauty glow throughout. It's tragic without being cloying, funny without being shrill, and best of all, very witty and irreverent. Gabizon's original script was about the adventures of a peeping tom and a nudist, and while both are still here, one can't help but be grateful for all the wonderful additions.
