In the port city of Haifa Moshe's (Moshe Ivgy) life is spinning out of control: his wife is no longer his best friend, he is fed up with the pointless "training" required by the Israeli army, his health is seriously deteriorating. On top of everything else Moshe is now entangled in a web of family issues (he is half-Jewish, half-Arab) where money will soon test old friendships with plenty of history. Moshe has had enough…it is time to move on!

Part of Amos Gitai's "City Trilogy" (Devarim; Kadosh) Yom Yom a.k.a Day After Day (1998) offers a strange mix of comedy and drama set within the confines of a city with a rich history. Focusing on Israeli "reality" (a prevalent theme in Gitai's films) Yom Yom is also as much of a comedy as it is a satire meant to delicately highlight the absurdity of the state in which Moshe resides. From the complicated relationship between Moshe and his wife Didi (Keren Mor), who insists on having a baby as soon as possible, to the required military training Moshe must undergo, to his emotional collapse after the death of his mother Yom Yom is a multi-faceted story about one man's struggle to remain sane.

Unlike the award-winning Kadosh however where Amos Gitai was much more effective in revealing his frustration about the direction in which Israel is heading (Gital is particularly good with his scripts) Yom Yom often feels rather static. Even though Moshe plays the role of a man crushed by reality to perfection his lines are not as convincing as I hoped they would be. In the second half of the film where Moshe becomes visibly sick Amos Gitai moves away from the bigger picture Yom Yom was drawing in favor of a more convenient resolution with a rather tame social message. As a result Yom Yom fails to impress in the area I thought its biggest potential lied - critiquing.

It does not quite help that Yom Yom also attempts to relate a moral message to its audience in a manner I find utterly artificial. Immediately after the death of his mother Moshe's friends and relatives gather together to pay their respects – shortly after, traveling in a car where his Arab father and a Jewish relative are seated together, Moshe must endure two prayers, one in Arabic and one in Jewish. And so are we!! Protracted, flat, and with the two characters being anything but convincing the effect which the two prayers create is undoubtedly questionable.

Despite a few occasional flashbacks suggesting what Amos Gitai is capable of Yom Yom is hardly one of his best works. With underdeveloped characters (and a main protagonist who constantly appears tired of his own existence), sloppy "moral" messages, and an intriguing but empty camera work Yom Yom quickly evolves into being a film that has very little meaningful to say. Without a doubt considering the source the final product is what I can only describe as "underwhelming".

Awards/ Recognition:

In 1998 Yom Yom won the Best Israeli Screenplay Award (Amos Gitai) and Wolgin Award for Best Israeli Feature Film at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

How Does the DVD Look?

A disaster!! Even though the back cover for this DVD states that the film is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 what KINO have offered here is an aspect ratio of 1.68:1. Furthermore Yom Yom has been derived from a very weak analog master (suggesting VHS history) – the print is plagued with numerous specs and scratches, a large amount of dirt, and a color scheme which completely breaks down the color balance we have come to expect from progressive properly mastered prints. To be honest with you there are very few aspects of this presentation that are actually done "right". On top of everything else the film has been marred by the inclusion of burnt-in (on the actual print) poorly designed (very weak white font) English subtitles.

How Does the DVD Sound?

An equally unimpressive "head-scratcher" of a mix (Hebrew 1.0) is what Kino have provided and I do not know how their quality department approved it. I am not fluent in Hebrew but am quite sure that if one is to rely on the sound mix alone (enduring the burnt-in subs) one would be quite challenged with the task. This is one of the more notable anemic audio treatments I have seen this year!

Extras:

There are no supplemental materials to be found on this DVD release.

Final Words:

Let's skip the film's evaluation and go straight to the actual presentation: Unlike other reviewers who have already written off KINO VIDEO I actually happen to appreciate the fact that they bring to America films that will otherwise be neglected. Clearly someone in the company has a great vision and understanding as to what "quality cinema" entails. And I would think that KINO VIDEO would be interested in selling their products, otherwise, why release them??! For what its worth I refuse to accept that the DVD herein reviewed is what KINO are content with. And I am not giving up on them…of course, hoping that they have not given up on us!! SKIP IT!