UK Jewish Film Festival - Encirclements

Approaching his bar mitzvah, Aharon Ninio is chosen to carry the Torah scrolls on Simchat Torah, but the neighbourhood’s belief that those who carry the Torah can request gifts on behalf of others awakens age-old tensions in his family. His father wants another child; his mother Rosa, having endured miscarriages, refuses to mourn another loss. Aharon himself just wants to be loved by popular local girl Aliza.

But after dropping and shattering the Torah during the honorary round, life takes an unexpected and devastating turn.

Director: Lee Gilat
Cast: Lior Ashkenazi, Uri Gabriel
Country: Israel
Year: 2014
Genre: Drama
Running time: 98 mins
Language: Hebrew with English subtitles