Or (My Treasure)

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Or (My Treasure) ★★ Mon tresor 2004

Feature debut of Israeli director Yedaya is naive, irritating, and compelling. Set in a modern-day, working-class neighborhood of Tel Aviv, it follows the struggles of prostitute Ruthie (Elkabetz) and her teenage daughter Or (Ivgy). Or is the responsible one—going to school, working, and looking after her self-destructive mother. Ruthie makes promises to go straight but inevitably goes back to the streets, thus breaking the heart of the daughter she refers to as “my treasure.” Hebrew with subtitles. 100m/C DVD . IS Ronit Elkabetz, Dana Ivgy, Meshar Cohen; D: Keren Yedaya; W: Sari Ezouz, Keren Yedaya; C: Laurent Brunet.