Tribeca 2022: Considering Missed Opportunities in 'Karaoke'

By Abe Friedtanzer

 

We've all had an acquaintance whose influence wasn't necessarily welcome but may have ultimately been for the best. Karaoke follows an older couple whose newfound friendship with an eccentric man living nearby causes them to rethink their situation. Have they accompished what they wanted to over the course of their lives? Though Meir (Sasson Gabay) and Tova (Rita Shukrun) are a theoretically happy couple who have had a healthy marriage for years, they've reached a point of complacency and boredom, with neither of them giving the other what they need. Enter Itzik (Lior Ashkenazi)...

The charismatic Itzik, with his long hair and abundant availability of alcohol and drugs, has a disarmingly nonchalant demeanor, spending each night hosting wild nights and karaoke sessions. At the parties he regales his guests with tales of his time in Miami. Both Meir and Tova are drawn to him and to the new beginning that spending time with him offers. But they develop that attachment independently, seeing Itzik as a much-needed chance to escape from the banality of everyday life, which of course includes each other.

Karaoke is the solo feature directorial debut of filmmaker Moshe Rosenthal, but it may be most notable for uniting two three-time Ophir winners (Ophirs are the Israeli Academy Award). Gabay will be best known to international audiences for The Band’s Visit, and it’s also worth mentioning his incredible turn in the equally fantastic Gett: The Trial of Vivianne Amsalem. Ashkenazi’s Ophir wins came for Late Marriage, Footnote, and Foxtrot, and he’s also appeared recently in a few TV series that have made it to the US such as Our Boys, Valley of Tears, and The Wordmaker. I imagined they had shared the screen before, but apparently this is the first time since the 2005 TV series War Room. That's pretty incredible since they're two of the top Israeli screen stars from the past few decades.

While Gabay and Ashkenazi play the kind of roles they often do and are perfectly fine in them, the real star of the film is Shukrun, who has fewer credits but truly shines. She illuminates that inchoate sense of not knowing exactly what you wants but understanding that you haven't got it. In fact, she hasn't ever thought about whether she could. Karaoke is light and fun, and universal enough in its themes to apply to any locale or relationship. Best of all, it builds towards a surprisingly sentimental ending that makes the journey there feel yet more worthwhile. B+

Karaoke is screening in the International Narrative Competition section at the 2022 Tribeca Festival.