The Barne’a family, from a suburb of Tel-Aviv, goes on a three-day family vacation in Romania.
It Was Lovely
A Film by: Sivan Arbel
(Israel, 2002, 53 Minutes, Color, Hebrew, English subtitles, Cast: Alex Peleg, Dina Doron, Yasmin Kedar, Ilanit Ben-Ya'akov, Uri Gotliv, Maya Kadishman, Alon Noyman)
The Barne’a family, from a suburb of Tel-Aviv, goes on a three-day family vacation in Romania.
Mom and dad initiate the trip, in order to renew a long-forgotten tradition of family vacations.
Fifteen years have passed since their last trip and the three daughters accept the challenge with mixed feelings - Tami, 32, the oldest, is happy to take time off. Aya, the middle sister, thinks it’s going to be a disaster. And little Shiri, 26, thinks it’s a great idea.
In a pastoral hotel on a lakefront, they are housed along one corridor with shabby wallpaper and thin walls. It is the first time in many years that they have to face problems that have been lying dormant.
Most of the problems are due to the small things, which usually crop up during a family vacation: the need for privacy, old jealousies, family squabbles, and the notion that it’s better not to deal with any of them.
The hero of drama is a typical Israeli family that is forced to confront the gap between its self-image and reality while on vacation.
AWARDS, FESTIVALS & SCREENINGS
• Jerusalem International Film Festival (2002) - Best Actors Ensemble Award, Best Director