Le Fils de l'autre

A young Israeli undergoes a military physical exam and learns of his true parentage, shaking the identities and beliefs of two families in Israel and Palestine. A moving drama about liberation from deep-seated hatred. This is the third feature for director Lévy, also a prolific scriptwriter. To avoid the usual cliches of stories surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict, she revised her script daily to reflect the opinions of her Israeli and Palestinian crew. Lévy is also a stage director, and she moves her cast with precision. Emmanuelle Devos, one of the most respected French actresses of her era, exquisitely evokes a distraught mother's love for her child. (Tokyo International Film Festival)