Norman: High stakes in Israeli politics
ISRAELI director Joseph Cedar’s latest film tells the story of professional New York Jewish networker Norman Oppenheimer who is always looking to make a deal and a connection.
ISRAELI director Joseph Cedar’s latest film, Norman, tells the story of professional New York Jewish networker Norman Oppenheimer (played by Richard Gere) who is always looking to make a deal and a connection.
He meets an up-and-coming Israeli politician, Eshel, (played by Lior Ashkenazi), who ultimately rises to power. Norman’s network status grows through this relationship as he attempts to maintain a connection to this politician.
Over time, Norman’s relationships become more complicated and of greater scale, raising the stakes of the game beyond Norman’s reach.
“Eshel, the politician whom Norman befriends, is the opposite of Norman,” said Cedar, who also wrote the screenplay to the movie that opens in Australia later this month.
“He’s a charismatic, charming man who, even when he seems down and out, is clearly one of the winners. Those of us who feel welcome anywhere usually take it for granted. It’s a good feeling to walk into a place and know that you are wanted.
“Norman doesn’t feel that anywhere. He’s not welcome. He’s trying to get involved in something he’s not invited to get involved in. He’s someone who always seems to have an ulterior motive, and it’s natural to want to push people like this away.”
Cedar said that Gere gives a masterful performance as it is not the obvious character for him.
“Once we started working, it became this beautiful artistic challenge for him – finding the ‘Norman’ in all of us. It was one of the best processes I’ve had with an actor.”
Norman and Eshel’s relationship starts with Norman buying him an expensive pair of shoes. This immediately puts Eshel on the receiving end of the relationship. Eshel lies in bed at night, drunk, hugging his new shoes and proclaiming his love to Norman.
While Eshel might appreciate Norman for his generosity, his cynical advisers keep him away from Norman and find him of no importance. The film has also been interpreted as a reflection of the American Jewish community, its power games and the state of Israeli-American Jewish relations.
Norman opens in Australian cinemas on May 25.
SHEERLY AVNI
comments