Synopsis
Leni takes Rafi to meet her family in Madrid. Leni's family is Jewish - mother, father, older sister and daughter, brother, and grandfather. Rafi is Palestinian, in Spain since age 12. Before her father returns from work, Leni reveals Rafi's origins. He accidentally drops a block of frozen soup out the flat window, probably killing a passerby. Leni initiates a cover-up and Rafi figures out the body is probably Leni's father. The body disappears and without telling the rest of the family what they know, Leni and Rafi organize a search for dad. Mom is sure he's having an affair. Leni's belly-dancing sister kisses Rafi. Her brother grabs a rifle to shoot the Arab. Can anything be put right?
Run Time
89
Year
2004
Has Subtitles
On
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Hero Image
Image
Media Type
Title
Only Human
Genre
Countries
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Airtable ID
recND4sCC65eKaZMR
Content Hash
fd44782866812422a4d404e92cd79e00
Festival/Series
Path
/film/only-human
IMDb ID
tt0376177
Sort Title
Only Human
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Synopsis for ajffrecommends.org
A wonderfully twisted Spanish black comedy, <strong>ONLY HUMAN</strong> turns a dinner visit with the in-laws into a living nightmare, as a Jewish daughter brings home her fiancé to meet her dysfunctional family for the first time. Everything seems to be going smoothly, until the boyfriend, Rafi, reveals he is Palestinian. Troubles are compounded when a frozen block of soup goes flying out of the seventh floor window with disastrous results. The tense family encounter quickly spirals out of control, thanks to a series of hilarious misunderstandings, and a zany cast of characters, including the caring If neurotic mother Gloria (Norma Aleandro), nymphomaniac sister Tania (Maria Botto) and her bratty daughter Paula (Alba Molinero), ultra-religious brother David (Fernando Ramallo), and a senile ex-Israeli soldier, grandfather Dudu (Max Berliner).
<strong>ONLY HUMAN</strong> offers a fresh spin on Jewish-Palestinian relations and cohabitation, as racial, religious and political tensions take the form of a romantic comedy of errors. "Comedy is liberating. It allows us to take distance, view the absurdity of a situation, save us from beIng consumed by negativism and seeing everything as impossible, and we wanted <strong>ONLY HUMAN</strong> to be optimistic film," says award-winning filmmaking duo Teresa de Pelegri and Dominic Harari. "This may be naïve when things are going so badly in Israel, but sometimes one feels like being naïve. Whatever the news today, it's nice to remember that a Jew and Palestinian can love each other and that maybe one day there will be peace and room for everybody there."
Reminiscent of Billy WIlder, <strong>ONLY HUMAN</strong> features a brilliantly written, rapid-fire script by screenwriters Pelegri and Harari with all the fun you can pack into an hour and a half. Running rampant through this meet-the-parents culture-clash comedy is a fine ensemble cast, featuring Argentinean actress Norma Aleandro, a veteran of both American and Latin cinema, and Guillermo Toledo who reaffirms himself as one of Spain's most celebrated comic talents.
<strong>ONLY HUMAN</strong> offers a fresh spin on Jewish-Palestinian relations and cohabitation, as racial, religious and political tensions take the form of a romantic comedy of errors. "Comedy is liberating. It allows us to take distance, view the absurdity of a situation, save us from beIng consumed by negativism and seeing everything as impossible, and we wanted <strong>ONLY HUMAN</strong> to be optimistic film," says award-winning filmmaking duo Teresa de Pelegri and Dominic Harari. "This may be naïve when things are going so badly in Israel, but sometimes one feels like being naïve. Whatever the news today, it's nice to remember that a Jew and Palestinian can love each other and that maybe one day there will be peace and room for everybody there."
Reminiscent of Billy WIlder, <strong>ONLY HUMAN</strong> features a brilliantly written, rapid-fire script by screenwriters Pelegri and Harari with all the fun you can pack into an hour and a half. Running rampant through this meet-the-parents culture-clash comedy is a fine ensemble cast, featuring Argentinean actress Norma Aleandro, a veteran of both American and Latin cinema, and Guillermo Toledo who reaffirms himself as one of Spain's most celebrated comic talents.
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