Vodka and Bread
A husband and wife who have one child leave their high-powered careers and start working in menial jobs instead. Gideon, a brilliant attorney, moves to Eilat and starts working in a fish farm, while Amia, his wife, gives up her respected position as an accountant and decides to manage the village grocery store she inherited from her parents.
Ostensibly, this is a simple story about the disintegration of a bourgeois family unit, but Amia`s decision isn`t just a break away from the rat race – it is her response to Gideon`s abandonment. And as he draws further away, she is torn between needing a husband and father for her son, and wanting to give the person she loves the space he needs.
Beyond Amia`s personal problems, life in the village brings her in touch with many people who find themselves on the margins of mainstream society. Among them: an old man who lost his grandson in an accident that ruined his family; Amjad, the Arab helper at the store, who is trying to survive in an impossible political and financial situation; and “the Madonna,” also known as “the little Russian slut,”a small-time thief and big-time temptress who left her ultra-orthodox religious family. But what Amia doesn`t know is that Gideon`s progressive estrangement is beyond his control.
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“ Vodka and Bread has a complex and convincing feel, an impressive sense of humor… Offers fascinating social and psychological insights into Israeli society.”
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“ Magen is like a tightrope walker who dares to juggle while she walks... All her characters come together to create an impressive collage.”
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“ A winning drama… Entices and captivates the readers with its charm, mesmerizing them with its language and style. ”