Don’t Forget Me, an 80-minute dark comedy by Israeli film director Ram Nehari about two patients at an eating disorders centre who fall madly in love with each other, will be screened this evening as part of the main competition of the Valletta Film Festival.
From the initial questions posed in the opening scene: “Bowel movements? Menstruation?” – a checklist that is mechanically repeated to each visitor at the centre – the audience builds a picture of the alienation of the young female protagonist, Tom (Moon Shavit).
And from the initial exchanges that Neil (Nitai Gvirtz) has with a musical instrument repairer, one gets the impression that he may not be all there.
Tom dreams of becoming a model, which is why she stopped eating, until she finds herself in a rehabilitation institute. On the other hand, Neil plays the tuba and wants to go on a tour of Europe, but in the meantime, is being treated at a psychiatric clinic.
These two young marginalised individuals meet, recognise themselves in each other and fall in love in their own way. The film is tender, desperate and has a unique sense of humour, providing a somewhat satirical commentary of modern Israeli society’s bizarre obsession with the body.
Other screenings today
At St James Cavalier Cinema:
The Thunder Feast, at 1pm
Short film programme B, at 3pm
Genesis 2.0, at 5pm
Somewhere in Tonga, at 7pm
Island of the Hungry Ghosts, at 9.15pm
At Embassy Cinemas:
Supa Modo, at 2pm
Pity, at 4pm
Amateurs, at 6pm.
Styx, at 8.30pm
At Valletta Campus Theatre:
The Widowed Witch, at 2.30pm
Ma’Ohi, In the Heart of the Ocean my Country Lies, at 4.30pm
The Poetess, at 6.30pm
Of Love and Law, at 8.45pm
Don’t Forget Me will be screened at Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta, today at 9pm. For tickets and information about other films showing at the festival, visit www.vallettafilmfestival.com. The Valletta Film Festival is supported by the Arts Council Malta.