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Only Human
Directed by: Dominic Harari and Teresa Pelegri
Starring: Guillermo Toledo
Genre:
Comedy/Foreign
Run Time: 85 min.
Release Date:
June 2006
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
ONLY HUMAN explores
prejudice, but not on a worldly scale. Instead it focuses on one family
and how their past and present attitudes may eventually spell out their
futures. And it’s damn funny.
Dealing with the Palestinian/Israeli equation is touchy at the best of
times, but laughing at it is something most probably don’t even think
about.
When an Israeli Jew brings home her fiancé, it’s usually a time for
celebration. So when Leni (Marian Aguilera,
THE RECKONING), the daughter of a
nice Jewish family, brings home her future husband, one would think
it’ll spark smiles and joy. But Leni’s man Rafi (Guillermo Toledo) shows
up on her parents’ doorstep with her and we immediately know there are
going to be ...uh ...problems. He’s a Palestinian and he’s ducking into
the den of a practicing Jewish family.
Usually this type of set up would spark dramatic elements but here we’re
given a hilarious take on one family and how they come to grips with
their daughter’s choice. Not only that, but Rafi has to come to terms
with an accident that may have killed Leni’s father.
Getting ready for dinner, Rafi is introduced to this rather wacky
family. There’s the nymphomaniac sister, a blind, gun-toting
grandfather, the overly-religious brother, and the protective mother.
Leni’s father is supposed to show up for the dinner but is late for some
reason. Leni’s younger sister (the nympho) believes their father is
having an affair, but only Rafi really knows what may have happened to
him. While taking the evening’s soup out of the freezer, Rafi
accidentally drops it out the kitchen window, and the frozen block falls
several stories before landing on someone’s head; Leni’s dad? No. It
couldn’t be, could it? Now another Palestinian has possibly killed a
Jew, this time with a new weapon!
Rafi and Leni must contend with their own inherent prejudices while
trying to save their future, and prevent the evening from disintegrating
into a quagmire of misunderstandings.
The comedy is both in the dialogue and physical. Rafi tries to find out
what’s happening to the man below who’s head was bashed by the frozen
soup. He goes into the bathroom and peers out its window. In the
meantime, Leni’s grandfather (blind) lumbers in to take a pee, and Rafi
gets into an unusual position on the toilet in order to avoid being
discovered by Grandpa.
This is a refreshing story that brings high marks for comedy into a
realm not normally reserved for such things. The only downside is that
the dialogue is sometimes rapid and for those who don’t speak Spanish
(the movie was shot in Spain), it’s often times difficult to read the
subtitles and keep up with the action onscreen. Otherwise this is an
excellent flick.
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Image from Only Human
DVD cost: $22.99
Purchase:
BestPrices.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
Only Human grew out of
three obsessions of husband and wife co-writers and directors Dominic
Harari and Teresa Pelegri. Namely family, sex, and the Middle East.
Putting it bluntly, they say, "The big issue of our times seems to be
how to avoid killing the person we're supposed to co-exist with."
Movie Quote: "I
think I killed a man with the soup."
Other Actors/Actresses
from Only Human
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