WHERE LIFE BEGINS

Italy/France 2022

Director: Stephane Freiss

French & Italian with English subtitles

100 minutes

Drama

This poignant and beautifully rendered drama is set on a farm in the countryside of southern Italy during the autumn harvest season, where a large, extended ultra-Orthodox Jewish family from France comes for a brief stay every year to carry out a sacred mission: harvesting citrons (etrogs) perfect enough to be considered kosher for the upcoming festival of Sukkot.  In this pastoral setting, Elio, the farm owner, meets Esther, the rabbi’s rebellious 26-year-old daughter. Although Esther feels a strong sense of devotion to her family, she also feels stifled by the constraints and restrictions imposed by her religion, and is contemplating abandoning Orthodox life.  Through the bond that slowly develops between the two of them, Esther will understand the importance of freedom and following her own path. And in the same way, thanks to her, Elio will find the peace he has long sought.