Amos Oz is the author of twenty novels, many more works of non-fiction and short stories, and is easily Israel’s most famous literary export. He's been published in over forty countries, has received awards around the world, and has been very vocal about the political situation in his native country. His is a rich, complicated, celebrated and controversial life, but if you have no foreknowledge of Oz, it’s very hard to become invested in Natalie Portman’s directorial debut “A Tale Of Love And Darkness.”
Based on Oz’s autobiographical novel, the film takes place across a few short years just after the Second World War, as his family settles and adjusts to life in Jerusalem. It’s a turbulent time, as politics swirl around the formation of the state of Israel, but the center of young Amos’ (Amir Tessler) world is his mother, Fania (Portman). It’s her love and guidance, as well as the events and incidents of his surroundings, that helps form the man and writer Amos would become, and this...
