Jellyfish.

"Predicated on the spectacle of functionally depressed types stuck in mildly ridiculous situations not entirely of their own making, the Israeli ensemble comedy Jellyfish - which won the Caméra d'Or last May at Cannes and was among the highlights of this year's New Directors / New Films - has an emotional resonance beyond its controlled slapstick and deadpan sight gags," writes J Hoberman in the Voice, where Michelle Orange talks with Etgar Keret, who's co-directed the film with Shira Geffen.

Jellyfish "mostly avoids the self-conscious cuteness that is the inevitable side effect of whimsical surrealism, and it explores difficult feelings without descending into easy sentimentality," writes AO Scott in the New York Times. "The dominant emotion experienced by the movie's characters seems to be disappointment - the vague, drifting sense of expectations slowly deflating under the pressure of everyday life - but the film's spirit is refreshingly playful and sweet."

Updated through 4/11.

"Though the film's reach does often exceed its grasp, particularly when, near the end, Jellyfish delves into the realm of magical realism, the actors are generally capable and endearing enough that it is possible to forgive the filmmakers' their failed ambitions," writes Dan Jardine at the House Next Door. "Furthermore, visually, the film is quite striking, as cinematographer Antoine Heberle has a playful style that keeps the sometimes self-conscious symbolism from getting weighted down by its own pretensions."

"I appreciated and admired the craftsmanship of Jellyfish more than I loved it, and I found its whimsical, magic-realist touches a bit cloying," writes Salon's Andrew O'Hehir. "Just as I began to appreciate that it had depths I hadn't perceived, it was over. Based on the rapturous international response, and the wide release planned for this film in the United States, it's safe to predict that your reaction may differ."

"Jellyfish is the kind of film that will ring true for some viewers, while striking others as too slight and precious," writes Noel Murray at the AV Club. "[A]l the bitterness in Jellyfish seems way out of proportion to its cause. At a certain point, Keret and Geffen should maybe have laid off the artfully composed sketches of their protagonists' lonely lives, and instead written some other characters to tell them to snap out of it."

For Filmmaker, Nick Dawson talks with Keret and Geffen "about Keret's engagement with movies (regardless of their quality), Geffen being pregnant during production, and the ideal literary adaptation."

Earlier: Reviews from Cannes.

Update, 4/11: "While Etgar Keret can claim the not-exactly-thrilling title of being the most popular Israeli author of fiction published in America (quick, name another one), that doesn't mean he's a small fish in a rinky-dink pond," writes Chris Barsanti, reviewing the new stories collection, The Girl on the Fridge at PopMatters. "The guy can write, and not just with humor, but with style. His stories are like swift, poisoned darts that you initially think you can dodge, but every now and again the cock-eyed despair that he layers beneath the jokes and absurd situations gets you right between the eyes."

Posted by dwhudson at April 5, 2008 9:26 AM