THE WONDERS (Plaot) (2013) - ♦♦

Directed by - Avi Nesher

Written by - Avi Nesher, Shaanan Street

Starring - Uri Chizkyia, Efrat Gosh

"A Jerusalem street artist meets a modern-day prophet held hostage in an apartment flat near his, and becomes involved in the predicaments surrounding his kidnapping.

Goodness knows the Jerusalem socio-political context needs to be explored in good comedies to carry important messages in ways different from the vast majority of other films that deal with them - particularly in the international scene. Nevertheless, Nesher's film can't help but come across as rather tame and shallow, choosing escapism despite being aware and using some more interesting and even somewhat cinematically unexplored elements of the hardships of everyday life in Jerusalem.

In the end, one of its redeeming factors is the way in which the filmmaker blends animation techniques into the film, as the characters drawn by the street artist come to life. But caressness in the tangled storyline contribute to the underwhelming experience and disappointing nature of this film."

Comedy, Israel