The Michael Sternberg directed film, LINE 25 is winning the hearts and awards of film festivals including the Impro-Action Film Festival.
Review by Lew Antoine
The premise seems run-of-the-mill: a shy, bookish girl falls for an obviously techno-geeky guy. But she doesn’t tell him. She sets her life so that she will always be on the same bus as he is (hence the title of the film) in the hopes that one day he will simply turn around and see her. The film is predominantly her adventures and romantic daydreams with this equally bookish and seemingly boring boy. While her dream world is joyous, romantic, funny, and even surreal, her reality hands us her longing looks and his blank stares; her dreams of ice cream and staring at horizons then looking lovingly in each other’s eyes, are not returned to her.
Shira Alon adds great depth to this stock character through sad eyes filled with dashed hopes and wide- mouthed toothy grins at simple successes. She attempts vainly to flirt using the stock line “I’ve haven’t seen you here before,” which is returned by the boy only with a bland explanation of his choice of exit doors.
Zack Dorfman plays the perfect straight man to Alon with his stoic face covered in a full beard, glasses and woolly cap. As both near the end of their trip with no romance ensuing (again), we are forced to leave the film with the realization that some people are just not destined to be together. Stay for their post-credit epilogue – that so many films and television programs have come to rely on – to get a moment that is so heartbreaking and yet so in character.
Alon also served as producer and Dorfman as film editor so the crafting of this simple yet stunning love story bore their signature all the way through. Sternberg – as writer and director – gave us a parable that can be seen or told as a story to all the lovelorn people.
This film is Israeli with subtitles, which in some ways, made it even more charming – and universal. The Alon Collection has many films like this one. Short, simple messages that stand the test of time and will also make its way to our hearts.
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