Friday, November 28, 2014

Jason goes to Jewfest South--Wednesday, Nov 12

A PLACE IN HEAVEN is a story that spans the early days of Israel all the way up to today. When an old general passes away, his estranged, ultra-orthodox son travels to talk to a rabbi who knew him way back when. It turns out when the general was a heroic soldier, the young cook who would become a rabbi idolized him. He thought such heroism guaranteed the soldier an anointed place in heaven. The soldier isn't religious, so he offers to sell him his place. They write up a contract to make it nice and legal--a place in heaven in exchange for his favorite food, every day for a month. The breadth of the story is told through the flashbacks of both the rabbi and the son. And the general's life is as tumultuous and morally complex as the history of Israel. And his career advancements take their toll on his family life. And by the end you wonder if he has any place in heaven left, while the rabbi certainly has his own. It's an interesting way to look back at a life, both the life of the general and the life of the nation.

Running Time: 118 minutes
My Total Minutes: 373,677

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