Noa at Seventeen

This film is a fictionalized attempt to portray the stresses on Israeli adults and youth during the years following the creation of Israel as a state in May 1948. The tensions between socialist Zionist ideology and personal freedom is the basis for the story of an older teenager (Noa), who must somehow reconcile her individuality with her family and her peers. Noa's mother is a firebrand and a local Zionist leader. Her father is a frustrated farmer; he had to give up his farm to support his wife in her socialist enterprises. A visit from Noa's mother's brother is the catalyst for a family crisis.For people interested in Israeli history, this film will be an important addition. Possibly the majority of other viewers would find it incomprehensible, especially since the subtitles in English do not do justice to the dialogue between characters in the film. After you view this early film, you can't help but be amazed at how quickly Israeli film industry has matured; Israeli actors, directors and writers are now winning international awards for their work.Viewers have to take a considerable amount of knowledge about Israel into this film to really understand it; otherwise most of the film will not make much sense. It appears to have been made for Israeli viewing only.