Set within the confines of a small Jewish enclave in the East Jerusalem Arab neighborhood Silwan, Tsivia Barkai Yacov’s new film “Red Cow” centers on 17-year-old Benny (short for Benyamina), an only child who lives with her fundamentalist Orthodox father (Yehoshua). As Yehoshua, whose wife died in childbirth, becomes more and more obsessed with the arrival of a new-born red heifer that he believes will bring redemption, Benny drifts further away from the strictures of her community and into the arms of newcomer — Yael (Moran Rosenblatt). “Red Cow” (“Para Aduma” in Hebrew) is a very personal story, explains writer-director Barkai Yacov in conversation with The Times of Israel ahead of a pre-release screening in London. Winner of both the Haggiag Award for Best Feature Film and the Anat Pirchi Award for Best Debut Film (jointly with “The Dive” by Yona Rozenkie) at the Jerusalem Film Festival, the film explores the complexities of Benny’s sexual awakening and ideological questioning with sensitivity, authenticity and nuance. Read more here.
