Screened at Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight, this compelling and provocative film looks at the intense relationship between two sisters. Chelli (Liron Ben-Shlush) lives in a dingy Haifa apartment where she takes care of her mentally disabled sister Gabby (Dana Igvy). When she reluctantly enrolls Gabby in a daycare programme, Chelli has time to pursue a relationship with Zohar (Yaakov Daniel), a substitute gym teacher. Soon the three are living together, further testing the co-dependency of the two sisters. Featuring outstanding performances and a powerful screenplay by Ben-Shulsh, based on her experiences with her disabled sister, this refreshingly unsentimental drama is richly rewarding.
Tune-in to our film podcast for Andy Willis and Jason Wood’s take on Next To Her (starts at 11:05):