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A Bottle In The Gaza Sea

A BOTTLE IN THE GAZA SEA (Thierry Binisti, France/Canada/Israel). 99 minutes. Subtitled. Tonight (Thursday, May 3), 8 pm, Varsity Sunday (May 6), 5 pm, Sheppard Grande.

THE TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL at various locations from Thursday (May 3) to May 13. $8-$13, opening night $20, closing night $18. 416-324-9121, tjff.com. See Indie & Rep Film. Rating: NNN


Based on a young adult novel by French author Valérie Zenatti, TJFF’s opening-night gala is a well-meaning but rather insistently earnest plea for mutual understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.

After a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, an Israeli teen (Agathe Bonitzer) wonders what would drive someone to strap on an explosives belt. She puts her question into a bottle that her soldier brother then throws into the sea. A young Palestinian (Mahmud Shalaby) finds it and replies, starting a conversation that moves beyond initial hostility toward something like empathy – though their respective elders remain rooted in old hatreds.

It’s well acted and pleasant enough, though one gets the sense that there could be more to the drama than just getting along.

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