FILM REVIEW: “The Matchmaker”

[Rachel Galvin]

By Rachel Galvin

The engrossing tale “The Matchmaker,” which is told in Hebrew with English subtitles, is filled with an interesting perspective of Israel, the aftermath of WW2, but, most prominently – relationships. Although many of the key characters remain scarred from the war or simply from lack of love, the mood of the piece is not tragic, but rather about how the characters move on with their lives and their interactions after tragedy or personal trial.

The most enticing character is the main character Yankele Bride, who is mentioned in the opening scene posthumously when it is announced he has left money to Arik, who has learned this announcement with his father by his side.

The rest of the film is a flashback to when Yankele Bride first came into Arik's life and their journey together. Yankele is a mysterious matchmaker who happens into Haifa with a smile on his face, a big heart and a lot of secrets he keeps in silence. He is met by a young teenage boy, Arik, who finds his matchmaking peddling a joke and he and his friends pull a prank on the man. But the prank falls flat and instead the mysterious man becomes entrenched in the young man's life through an old connection with the boy's father.

He brings Arik on to collude with him in his mission to find love for those in the community, even through questionable means. Through this internship of sorts, Arik discovers more than he bargained for and stumbles on a world he would have never known otherwise. He encounters more intreguing characters, many who have secrets of their own, making their every move filled with the nuance of an inner turmoil. In the meantime, a romance of sorts blooms subtly for Arik as well, adding to this coming-of-age story.

This is a warm and welcoming film with rich characters and a plot that keeps your interest, especially the further into the depths of the story it becomes. It provides new insight into the early inhabitants of Israel, into those who survived the horrors of the war, the guilt they face either self-imposed or the barbs thrown by others simply because they survived. What makes this such a multi-layered film is the way in which all of these conflicts are understated letting the story swirl around the actions of Yankele, the mystery that surrounds him and the curiosity of a growing young boy learning from his newfound mentor.

“The Matchmaker” opened in select theaters on March 23.