"Karaoke" - Tribeca Film Fest Review
The art of karaoke is quite mystical. It’s something more than singing in a darkened room. There’s a spirituality to it, a performance whose quality isn’t judged by the quality of the person’s singing, but by the emotions they’re going through. People are coming to the microphone to sing something about what they’re feeling and by turning it into a performance, it forces these feelings to be something more. It forces the internal to become external. Sure, there are some times when karaoke is nothing more than friends gathered around a microphone singing songs, but it has the potential to be life-changing.
Karaoke is about one couple’s quiet revolution. Tova (Rita Shukrun) and Meir (Sasson Gabay) have been married for 46 years and lead a fairly quiet existence. They host family dinners, drink wine on their patio, and visit Rhodes once a year. All of that changes when a Maserati blocks Meir’s car in his parking space at the apartment complex garage. A neighbor leaves a threatening note on Meir’s behalf. Later, the owner of the Maserati, Itzik (Lior Ashkenazi), invites Meir and Tova to dinner at his penthouse suite. Itzik’s life is much more glamorous than Tova and Meir’s. He travels to exclusive Greek island resorts, throws karaoke parties in his apartment with supermodels as guests, and seems to have no worries. Itzik’s carefree mentality is addictive, and Tova and Meir soon find themselves trying to change their personalities to be worthy of his attention.
Charades
This film isn’t so much about people who want to change their lives, but about knowing how to do it. Instead, it’s about the stuckness of life and how easy it is to go down in that quicksand. To not be able to see what’s beyond the present and feel as though a life full of joy is out of reach. It’s a dark place to live in. When someone comes into your life who is carefree and begins to show you the possibility of a life of enjoyment, it’s intoxicating and special. It’s what Itzik has done for Meir and Tova which allows them to shed some of their burdens.
Meir and Tova see Itzik as a gritty, authentic person they’re jealous of. As the movie goes on, though, the rose-colored glasses come off and Meir and Tova are able to see past Itzik’s facade. Authenticity isn’t having a good time and being the life of the party. It’s being open, real, and passionate, despite the knowledge that happiness is fleeting.
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