This screening of A Tale of Love and Darkness is proudly presented by the Embassy of Israel

“Love is a curious mixture of opposites, a blend of extreme selfishness and total devotion.”

Who else is excited for Natalie Portman’s debut as a feature film director that she also wrote the script for and stars in?

A Tale of Love and Darkness is based on the 2002 much-celebrated autobiographical novel by Amos Oz, Israel’s most famous living author. The story is based on the memories of a young Oz, growing up in Jerusalem in the turbulent years before Israeli statehood with his academic father and dreamy, imaginative mother, Fania (Portman), one of many families who moved to Palestine from Europe during the 1930s and ‘40s to escape persecution. The terror of war and running from home followed by the tedium of everyday life weighs heavily on Fania’s spirit, who slips into sadness as Oz is powerless to help, while the politics and ramifications of war break down all around him.

While perhaps more dark than loving, A Tale of Love and Darkness beautifully depicts this dark and difficult, yet hopeful period of Jewish and Israeli history as well as the resulting dispossession of Palestinians.

Less plot or narrative driven, Portman – who was born in Jerusalem to an Israeli father, and learnt to speak Hebrew as a child – imbues her film with visuals that triumphantly capture the tragic and beautiful story told in the Oz’s landmark novel.