Anderswo

Years ago, attracted by its culture and lifestyle, Noa moved to Berlin. At present she is collecting material for her grant-sponsored Master's thesis: a dictionary of untranslatable words. But she hasn't been feeling well of late and, on top of that, she is waylaid by the news that her boyfriend Jörg has entered a competition in Stuttgart. As a sudden inspiration, Noa decides to fly home. But after the joy of reuniting with her parents and siblings fades, Tel Aviv and her extended family begin to get on her nerves. What now? Director Ester Amrami drew on many of her own experiences and feelings for her first feature. The director weighs in on the difficulty of putting down roots in a country which allows freedom of thought, in contrast to home where one must respect tradition and rituals and where every arrival is a possible enemy. But there is also a distinctive, slightly nostalgic humor exemplified by interview snippets in which the representatives of various nationalities explain the meaning of words that are difficult to translate into other languages. But what purpose would such a dictionary serve, the grant commission wonders.... (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)