In ha-Argazim, a neighborhood that time forgot, the one-year anniversary of Morris Mandabon's death is approaching, and his youngest son, Nissim has had a dream in which his father orders him to re-open the old neighborhood movie theater, thus breaking the vow that Morris had made years before never to screen movies again. Nissim and his brother George, together with Aharon Gabardine, who was the projectionist back in the old days, are determined to fulfill Morris' request. The same day Nissim has his dream, Avram Mandabon, Morris' brother, returns for his brother's memorial after a 25-year absence. His reappearance causes old family feuds to resurface.
Acting
Yona Elian's Seniora—steely widow holding decades of grudges.
Production
Ha-Argazim neighborhood feels like a character with abandonment issues.
Writing
Dream logic meets Talmudic argument—divine and petty simultaneously.
Director
Benny Toraty
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Desperado Square won the Israeli Academy Award for Best Picture in 2001, beating higher-budget competitors with its shoestring charm.
The film captures a specific moment when Israel's immigrant neighborhoods ('development towns') were being demolished; ha-Argazim itself was razed shortly after filming. The movie theater becomes a literal ghost.
IL
