The Cakemaker

Very real, well-written film courtesy of Israel. What I liked about this film, more than, say Brokeback Mountain was the focus on the surviving family. The film accurately portrayed what Israeli women endure when they lose theit spouse (whether through terorrism, natural death or accidental). The pain is the same as us in America, but they have no choice but to remain functional and productive simply because their society demands it. Israeli women are tough as nails but hurt just as deeply and this film did an excellent job showing this. The emotions and stages of grief were very realistic for the surviving boyfriend from Germany as well. Although as a gay man, i don't think I could ever become intimate with a married man, much less find his wife after his death and immerse myself into her life covertly, the interactions between him and his former lovers mother were heart warming, sweet and heartbreaking. This isn't a feel good film but it really makes you think about the implications and consequences of living a double life, of being married to a partner that you've fallen out of love with and how all of this impacts everyone involved from spouse, parents, side lovers and even surviving children. The ending was stoic, yet cathartic, as is the Israeli culture. It was fitting, yet exemplified how messy life can be and how little we know about the internal struggles people endure on any given day. Well done overall.

International films seem to have more heart than most American films. I wanted to be bothered by the dueling denial of and acceptance of bisexuality on the parts of both main male characters but soon learned the film was only about one thing, one character, and one's length, strength, and degrees of Love he was willing to demonstrate to cope with his loss.It's a beautiful film about access, adaptation, and vulnerabilities. We can all own them at stages in our lives if we are willing to surrender to the gifts Life affords us and become more tolerant to its packaging.Thomas found his gift, then lost it, and then chose to go to extraordinary actions to attain closeness to it again before his secret is discovered.The story is well-paced, evenly and relaxed, the direction is exceptional that often the viewer is almost a voyeur to character's extreme personal feelings and their reactions to their experiences. The ethnic and racial tensions tell another part of the story and offers insights into delicate yet firm and distant polarizations.The film is a tasty treat, often sweet but mostly bittersweet. Taste it and weep with delight ! Guess it's true, you just can't have your cake and eat it too...

Tim Kalkoffs performance is mesmeriziing. It’s impossible to take your eyes off him. His eyes and face speak volumes. Haunted, hurt and lonely one feels his pain through his every move and look. Brilliant performance. The scene where he explains why he is happy with what he has is heart wrenching. Masterpiece.

This is not a film with a happy story or a typical sex filled film.It's engaging and captivating with how the actors and actress express themselves through their body language and emotions.It's very good! I actually purchased it by accident and thought what the heck, I'll watch it anyway.Enjoyed it and recommend it!

Watched this film upon a recommendation from a Facebook Group and was absolutely moved. The story arch among the characters is breathtakingly simple and beautiful. The backdrop of the baking and cooking adds a special feel to the story. It was so wonderful to enjoy a 2 hour film where the acting and story took me away. Highly recommend if you want to feel a mixture of love, happiness, frustration, tension and peace - this film is the one.

Very glad films previously thought there was no audience for are getting attention, budget & being made. AND being very well made. The actors, the story & the soundtrack are all A++. I don't believe you'll be disappointed. HIGHLY recommended.

If you do not do subtitles well this isn't for you. I liked the movie it told a story well and I found all of the actors stimulating and compelling. I purchased it and I may watch again eventually but it's not one you want to watch over and over or it wasn't for me. Without giving any spoilers all I can say is it's worth the purchase price currently considering they usually want $5 just to rent one.

this happy/sad/tale of life is beautifully crafted. the settings, acting, direction, music and camerawork all shaped into a complete slice of life as it can happen. the story touches your heart and makes you know your alive and your feelings are in good working order. enjoy

The photo on the box and the number of awards at festivals might lead you to think that this is something special, but unfortunately it turns out to be a rather saccharine film, picturesque and rather shallow. It is disappointing to see, right from the start, how the premise is not very well handled - a man goes into a cake shop in Berlin, orders a cake from the hunky patissier, and the next thing they are in his flat with a glass of wine, all very House and Garden, and we understand it is a relationship, but we see nothing. Later in the film there is a flashback, but really, we have no sense of this as a reality. The visitor is Israeli, and has a wife and son in Jerusalem; when he dies in an accident, very near the start of the film, Thomas, the patissier, goes to Jesusalem and gets a job in the wife's cafe, where he starts making cakes. There is a lot of rather indulgent footage of cookie jars nearly empty , or someone eating a cookie with a look of delight on their face, because it is so delicious, often against an exquisite turquoise window frame that looks as if they used the set for Mamma Mia, but actually it is far less effective and lively than that ... the best thing in it is Thomas, played by the very attractive Tim Kalkhof. He is a sweet, gentle man who looks as if he could morph into The Incredible Hulk, but the infidelity question is never properly addressed, and the whole thing is just surface stuff, really, set to some very bland padding on the piano. Once or twice we see Thomas in some fetching orange speedos, once lying on his bed in a way that is certainly more enticing than the cookies, but there is not much bummanda, all told. The wife, Anat, also tries her hand at the baking lark, but cannot get the dough to rise, she tells Thomas. If only this were more of an innuendo; sadly one could imagine the director didn't even think of it in those terms. Zohar Strauss stars as Anat's brother, who was in the much better Israeli film Eyes Wide Open. That was really superb, but next to it this one is really just a few crumbs left on the worktop.

Good particular film , sensitive film which treats homosexuality with the right sensibility ,delivering true picture of Jewish Jerusalem

Leiser Film voller intensiver Stimmungen, subtiler Andeutungen und anrührender Momente. Kein Pathos, kein Kitsch, kein Zuckerguss, keinerlei Krokodilstränenstimulator- aber tiefgründig, atmosphärisch dicht, voller Wahrhaftigkeit! Das kann man nicht besser machen- da stimmt alles von Anfang bis Ende!Fazit: Beeindruckend, mit sanftem Nachhall. Tim Kalkhof ist einsame Spitze! Seine Fähigkeit wahrhaftig in eine solche Figur zu schlüpfen ist nahe an unerreicht, seine Art ohne Bramborium Zwischentöne zu treffen ist tatsächlich einmalig- derart introvertiert mutig, entschlossen, ja stark und doch so verwundet, verletzbar und letztlich schicksalsergeben- riesengroßes Kino!!!

Ein wunderbarer ruhiger Film, ohne Hektik, mit schönen Überraschungsmomenten, sehr gut geschnitten mit exzellenten Schauspielern. Atmosphärisch dicht und man lernt noch einiges über den Alltag in Israel. Es war auch eine gute Entscheidung, die hebräisch/englischen Dialoge nicht zu synchronisieren, das erhöht die Authentizität des Gesprochenen erheblich. Diesen Film schaut man sich bestimmt mehrmals an.

I had to buy the DVD of this movie, even after I'd seen it three times at the local film festival. I found it very touching and thought-provoking -- and unlike movies made in Hollywood, I had no idea what was going to happen next. It had a mood that stayed with me, and made me want to see it again. The final sequence will give you lots to discuss and think about.