SDIJFF Movie Review: ‘Working Woman’

By Cantor Sheldon Foster Merel

SAN DIEGO —  Working Woman,  an Israeli  drama filmed in Jerusalem, was shown at the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival on Friday  afternoon.  a It  was so vividly portrayed  that it left  me emotionally drained  The  cast  gave gut wrenching performances under excellent direction by Michal Avid.

When the film ended,   my two friends and I could not wait to discuss it in depth, and there was  a similar buzz in the audience.

It  is a familiar story of sexual harassment in the work place and  of course is a  microcosm  what woman confront often.   It is perfectly in  tune with the #MeToo movement in America , and  its message should be continually broadcast to the public  again and again.

Orna  (Liron ben Shlushi) is a  happily married woman with three children  who is doing very well in her new position.  Constantly hovering over her,  however,  is  Benny (Menashe Noy), a powerful boss with unabashed  sexual intentions..  She does not how to  handle his insidious behavior, nor to whom to turn for help.  The pressure  is doubled as her husband’s new restaurant  is   floundering and her income is essential.

After Benny  physically accosts Orna , she is traumatized and quits feeling humiliated and shattered. She  struggles  to cope with the emotional damage to her psyche, but we are left with a  ray of hope as Orna gathers strength to  seek another job.  Her marriage is still at risk but with Orna’s  new found strength we hope it  may help her go forward with her life.  Unfortunately, harassment of women does not  usually have a ray of light at the end of the tunnel, and the hurt is carried for a lifetime.

As my friend and I were driving home, she told me about a class  she arranged  years ago  for women friends  with an expert to teach how to respond to sexual harassment.  At the end of the  sessions, one of  the teacher’s male assistants draped in black, on cue suddenly grabbed my friend.  In spite of all she previously had learned,  she absolutely froze and couldn’t even scream. This was a rehearsal for reality, and  a lesson well learned. Too often in cases of reported harassment, women are not believed , and instead  blamed.

I recommend that you catch the  next and only showing of Working Woman during the San Diego  International Jewish Film Festival at 8 p.m., Tuesday night, February 12 at the Clairemont  Reading Cinemas 13, 4665 Clairemont Drive, San Diego. In case you miss it, perhaps Netflix will eventually show it .

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Merel is cantor emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel.  He may be contacted via sheldon.merel@sdjewishworld.com 

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