MOUNTAIN New Auteurs

Yaelle Kayam’s debut feature follows a young Orthodox Jewish woman who lives with her family in the ancient cemetery atop Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. She spends her days roaming the mountain in an attempt to escape the banality of her daily life and at night she attempts to connect with her husband who no longer desires her. One night, in a fit of frustration, she leaves the house and wanders about the cemetery becoming transfixed by a nocturnal community of prostitutes and drug dealers. As she begins to explore this new realm of the mountain, she is increasingly unable to return to her normal routine. Writer-director Kayam expertly explores the physical and spiritual plight of a woman who is both wife and mother, focusing on her mundane existence and frustrating interactions with her family that eventually push her to question her sense of place. —Jenn Murphy