Winner of the 2018 Ophir for best Israeli film, The Cakemaker is a quiet, reflective drama set in Jerusalem and Berlin.
A pastry chef of some repute, quiet, introverted Thomas (Tim Kalkhof) travels to Israel on hearing of the death of his lover. A married man, Oren (Roi Miller) split his professional time between Berlin and his wife, Anat, and young son in Jerusalem.
Whilst avoiding the darker side of its subject (namely grief, desire and sexuality), writer/director Ofir Raul Graizer (his feature film debut) explores the negative spaces of the unfolding drama. Thomas comes to know Anat (Sarah Adler) and, through his baking, helps establish her newly opened cafe, putting the cafe at odds with its kosher status.
Avoiding the need for grandstanding, The Cakemaker is a gentle feature sensitively handling the complexities of social, sexual and religious differences.
Rating: 71%
Director: Ofir Raul Graizer
Writer: Ofir Raul Graizer
Main cast: Tim Kalkhof (The Painted Bird, TV’s The Queen’s Gambit), Sarah Adler (Restoration, Foxtrot), Roi Miller (Infiltration, Foxtrot)
An Opinion or Two 