A marriage tested by debt, desire, and a shirtless grandson who definitely didn't read the room.
Sassi is more than 20 years older than his wife Effi and is worried about his declining powers. Surgery has left him seeking treatment for impotence, but Effi insists she’s content with their emotional closeness. In her work as a physical therapist, though, Effi sees the link between body and heart every day. The biggest challenge to their loving relationship has been the gambling debts Sassi’s adult son keeps running up. But the couple’s fragile understanding, compounded by the presence of two young men, introduces new threats. Their teenage grandson, Omri, returns from living with his father in Europe, at loose ends and clearly in need of guidance. For one thing, he can barely stand to wear a shirt. Then a young patient turns up at the swimming pool where Effi conducts therapy sessions. He comes to confront her about something from their past, something complicated, contested, and painful to them both.
Acting
Sasson Gabai's crumbling patriarch — vanity never looked so vulnerable.
Writing
Zarhin's script treats sex and shame with equal, unflinching weight.
Director
Shemi Zarhin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Zarhin continues his exploration of Mizrahi Israeli masculinity after 'The World Is Funny' and 'The Kind Words.'
The swimming pool setting deliberately echoes therapy and mikveh rituals — purification through confrontation.
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