Hahataim

In 1977 Jerusalem, two sisters, the daughters of Holocaust survivors, investigate a taboo topic: the mystery of their difficult father's experiences in Poland during World War II. In what is arguably his best film yet, master director Nesher (The Matchmaker) confronts a trauma-the burden of history-that is still very much part of the Israeli present and deeply rooted in the collective subconscious. Despite growing up in what their gynecologist father terms a normal world, neither Nana, a combative liberal journalist, nor younger sister Sephi, an aspiring classical composer with an angelic singing voice, feel that they had an easy or happy home life. When Sephi is accosted by a Polish woman in Berlin claiming that their father is a murderer, she is understandably disturbed and reluctantly tells Nana about it, but not her parents. (Palm Springs International Film Festival)