Watch Or, My Treasure

Or, My Treasure is a powerful and poignant drama from 2004 directed by Keren Yedaya. It tells the story of Ruthie, a young woman living in poverty with her mother, a prostitute called Or, in a run-down apartment complex in Tel Aviv. The film chronicles Ruthie's experiences as she navigates the challenges of growing up in a dysfunctional family and tries to find a way to escape the cycle of poverty and abuse.

The film opens with Ruthie walking back to her apartment building, past the prostitutes who line the street. She enters the building and makes her way up to their apartment, where she finds her mother entertaining a client. The opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the film – dark, gritty, and hopeless. It's clear from the outset that Ruthie's life is far from ideal.

As the film unfolds, we learn more about Ruthie's life, her relationship with her mother, and how she copes with the difficult situations she finds herself in. We see her struggle to make sense of her mother's choices, and we witness the toll that her mother's lifestyle takes on their family. We also see Ruthie start to come into her own, to find her voice and assert her autonomy.

One of the central themes of the film is the relationship between Ruthie and her mother. Or is a complex, multifaceted character, and the film doesn't shy away from showing both the good and the bad sides of her personality. At times, she's loving and supportive towards Ruthie, but at other times she's cruel and abusive. Ruthie is caught in a bind – she loves her mother, but she also resents the way that her mother's prostitution has shaped their lives. Through her interactions with other characters in the film, Ruthie begins to see her mother as a human being, rather than just a source of frustration and disappointment.

Another important theme of the film is poverty and its effects on individuals and families. Ruthie and Or live in an apartment that is falling apart, with no money for repairs. They survive on Or's meager income from prostitution, supplemented by occasional junk scavenged from the street. The film shows how poverty affects people's self-esteem and sense of identity, and how it can lead to a cycle of despair and hopelessness.

The performances in the film are all exceptional, particularly those of the two leads, Dana Ivgy and Ronit Elkabetz. Ivgy plays Ruthie with a raw vulnerability that is both heartbreaking and compelling. Elkabetz, as Or, gives a powerful performance that is both sympathetic and unsparing. Together, they create a mother-daughter bond that is both dysfunctional and loving.

The film is beautifully shot, with a focus on close-ups that emphasizes the emotional intensity of the characters' experiences. The camera lingers on Ruthie's face as she struggles with her emotions, and on Or's face as she tries to maintain her composure in the face of adversity. The lighting is subdued and realistic, adding to the sense of gritty realism that permeates the film.

Overall, Or, My Treasure is a moving and thought-provoking film that offers a powerful commentary on poverty and its effects on individuals and families. It's a difficult film to watch at times, but it's ultimately rewarding, thanks to the exceptional performances and the unflinching honesty of the storytelling.

Or, My Treasure is a 2004 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 35 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.0 and a MetaScore of 64.