Noddle Film Review

Noddle is a 2007 award winning Israel comic-drama film

Noddle Film Review

Noddle is a 2007 award winning Israel comic-drama film. It was directed by AyeletMenahemi, written by AyeletMenahemi and ShemiZarhin and starred by AlonAboutboul, Chen Baoqi and Mili Avital.

Plot

Nothing beats witnessing characters growing together in a touching drama film where little actions and moments speaks volume from the heart.

Noddle tells a touching story about a woman working for Miri kalderon, an Israel flight attendant. She leaves to run some errands but is unfortunately deported for overstaying her visa. Her lack of Hebrew speaking skills makes it impossible to inform the Israel authorities that she has a young boy with her.

When Miri, a two times widowed due to the ongoing israel-Arab conflicts returns home from a flight, she reluctantly becomes a babysitter to her Chinese housekeeper’s son. Her well regulated schedule is turned upside down.

The boy whom they name Noodle is played by BaoQi Chen. He neither speaks Hebrew nor English and neither can Miri speak Chinese.

Together with her sister Gila and Gila’s separated husband Izzy, they collectively try to figure out the best thing to do with the child. The authority and embassies are out of question due to the illegal status of the child lest they are left with the guilt of putting his mother in trouble.

Miri maneuvers the bureaucratic system of immigration and finally unites the Noodle with her mother back in Beijing. She also ends up helping them in ways that she did not even expect.

The result may seem predictable but the film takes many interesting yet unexpected turns. Neither Miri nor Gila and her estranged husband are cardboard figures. Each character has a separate story and their own life. The supporting characters like the woman who plays as the immigration office are also excellent.

An amazing aspect about this film is that it could have been set in any country other than Israel. Nothing about the scenes-except where Miri loses her husband-makes speaks ’made in Israel’.

Noodle is also well edited with good production values. It is no wonder that this film has secured so many awards and nominations.

Awards

Noddle has won numerous awards including the Best supporting Actress award from Ophir Awards (Israeli Film Academy) as well as a special Grand Prize of the jury from the Montreal Worls Film Festival in 2007. It has also won other awards in the US such as the Best Feature Film Audience from Choice Award during the Jersey Shore Film Festival in 2010.

This films has also been nominated for numerous Awards including the Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actress, Best Sound, Best Screenplay, Best Music, best Film and Best Editing.

Responses

Noodle is about loss and grief but it takes the form of a crowd pleaser. Films that combines great performances of involving the viewers emotionally and stories are rare but Noodle has managed to accomplish this.

It is generally a touching and comic drama about two people who accompany each other on an amazing journey that takes them back to a happier and more meaningful life.