Whether you’re newly single, divorced, married, a closeted lesbian or gay, divorced from or married to a closeted lesbian or gay, a fortuneteller enthusiast, love babies, or just a sucker for romantic 'dramedies', Bittersweet has something for you.
 
Bittersweet is about a group of friends, their romantic trials and tribulations, and the secrets that they all keep. The two and a half couples that make up the group run the gamut of relationship problems, including cheating, lying, and concealing sexual preferences altogether. Each character is on the brink of a great change in their life and is trying to find his or her way.
 
The changes in each of the characters lives begin to unfold following a strange dinner party. Keren and Leon meet David and his escort (a blind date) one night for dinner at Ran and Dana’s apartment. Ran was put in charge of finding a female poet for the culture-themed party. Instead of doing so, he decided to hire a fortuneteller who was working on the street next to the stand where he was buying wine for the party that evening.

After getting over the initial shock of her husband hiring a homeless fortuneteller instead of a poet, and after the fortuneteller took a bath and put on Dana’s clothes without asking, Dana asked her to tell the fortunes of her guests. One by one, the teller invited each dinner guest to sit next to her, and one by one, each guest tries unsuccessfully to hide the awkward and troubling feelings they are left with after hearing their fortune. Instead of a light-hearted evening of fun, each character was left with a heavier burden than when they came.
 
Dana was having an affair with her counselor; Keren and Leon’s marital problems were multiplying by the day; David couldn’t decide whether or not to abandon his long-time boyfriend for the Israeli version of the American dream. The most emotionally evocative situation was that of Ran, Dana’s husband. His mother was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and after running away from her apartment, and a few suicide attempts, her requests for David to help end her life became less and less unreasonable. Each guest wondered if the fortune teller’s predictions were true, and if they should make an effort to change their “decided” paths.
 
Bittersweet features a prevalent circle-of-life sentiment that culminates in the closing scenes. Though over-dramatic, the parts of the film involving pregnancy and death turned out to be the most genuine. The rest of film’s plot was heavily coincidence-driven, making it less and less believable as the plot progressed. The soundtrack lost its intended dramatic effect by translating Hebrew lyrics into English subtitles. These two factors, in conjunction with decent acting and mild character development, left me feeling like most of the film had been watered down.
 
One point of interest was the circumstance between David and his live-in partner, Gal. Yes, David fills the obligatory gay-friend quota in this group, but, as an LGBT ally and activist, I really appreciated that director Doron Benvenisti tackled a rarely addressed problem in the gay community instead of merely toeing the line. David is torn between remaining part of a secret and unconventional family with Gal or breaking it off to fulfill his dream of having a traditional family with a wife and kids (a choice that his family would approve of). My interest piqued when David abandoned what seemed to be the most sensible option (staying with Gal) and decided to marry to a woman he’d known only for a few weeks. I was happy that David took an active step in ensuring his happiness, but the feeling was bittersweet.
 
There was a disconnect between the gravity of the subject matter and the way it appeared on screen. With the exception of a few poignant scenes, Bittersweet was just ok; especially in comparison to some of the other gems in the festival like Noodle and Four Seasons Lodge. Despite its shortcomings, the film left me thinking: if, by divine intervention, my future was revealed to be less-than-ideal, would I do something in the present to change it?

Four Seasons Lodge will be shown on Wednesday, February 3 at 7pm at the Mayerson JCC with a SPECIAL SCREENING Monday February 1st at 7pm at UC's Mainstreet Cinema, 265 Tangeman University Center, free with student ID. To find out more about the Jewish and Israeli Film Festival, visit www.jewishcincinnati.com/filmfestival