''Shiva'' is a 2008 Israeli drama film, also known by its English title as ''7 Days'', ''Seven Days'' and ''The Seven Days'' by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz. It is the second feature to be directed by the siblings following the unhappy marriage of Viviane Amsalem following 2004's '' To Take a Wife''. In 2014 it was succeeded by the final film in the trilogy '' Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem''.

Plot

For seven days a large family of Moroccan descent observes the Jewish mourning ritual of

shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

when a brother dies. Living together again reveals many tensions and conflicts between family members. Amid the tensions, the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

rages in the background.

Cast

* Ronit Elkabetz as Vivianne * Albert Lluz as Meir * Yaël Abecassis as Lili *

Simon Abkarian Simon Abkarian (Armenian: Սիմոն Աբկարյան, born March 5, 1962) is a French-Armenian actor. Life and career Born in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, of Armenian descent, Abkarian spent his childhood in Lebanon. He moved to Los Angeles, wher ...

as Eliau *

Hana Laszlo Hana Laszlo ( he, חנה לסלאו; born 14 June 1953) is an Israeli actress, television presenter and comedian. In 2005, she won a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film '' Free Zone''. She has also receive ...

as Ita *

Moshe Ivgy Moshe Ivgy ( he, משה איבגי; born 29 November 1953) is an Israeli actor and director. Biography Moshe Ivgy was born in Casablanca, Morocco, to a Moroccan Jewish family. He was married to actress Irit Sheleg. Their daughter Dana Ivgy is ...

as Haim * Keren Mor as Ilana * Alon Aboutboul as Itamar

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' compared it unfavourably to '' To Take a Wife'' while at the same time praising the acting as "flawless". ''

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper ...

'' wondered "why they ha been asked to spend two hours listening to the angry resentments of a disintegrating family, even if they admire the cast and co-directors' skill..."

References

External links

* 2008 films Films directed by Ronit Elkabetz Films about Jews and Judaism French war drama films 2000s French-language films 2000s Arabic-language films 2000s Hebrew-language films 2000s war drama films Gulf War films Films about Moroccan Jews Israeli war drama films 2008 drama films 2008 multilingual films Israeli multilingual films 2000s French films {{Israel-film-stub