The Film
Family can be the tie that binds, but for a father the rivalry with his son leaves a bitter pill to swallow in Footnote, the Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. What could be a set of comic misunderstandings involving father-son professors, who have each dedicated their lives to the work of Talmudic Studies, instead becomes a heart-breaking tale where reconciliation is all but impossible.
Father Eliezer Shkolnik has tirelessly worked on proving a hypothesis his entire life, only to earn a small footnote mention in a book on the same subject. Meanwhile his son Uriel has earned accolades and awards for his own work. This has left Eliezer bitter and resentful - but all this changes when he learns he's the winner of the Israel Prize, the highest honor for scholarship in the country. The problem it turns out is that the award was in fact meant for Uriel. While this could be played for laughs, and at times the film has moments of comic relief, the path is one that is impossible to turn back from, making this a poignant yet dark film. A comedy it is not.
The Picture
At times this story of the rift between father and son may be hard to watch, but it is a joy to see. The 1080p 2.35:1 transfer is fantastic, with smooth details in nearly every scene. It allows viewers to take in the subtle details such as the numerous books, manuscripts and notes in the offices of the professors. The picture is free of grain, with no noticeable banding or other distractions. Colors are accurate and the images sharp and crisp.
The Sound
For a film that is dialog heavy with unhappy people it would seem as if there would be yelling - lots of yelling. And yet this one is really about people who mostly keep their emotions bottled up inside. As such the dialog isn't intense but comes through clearly. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack provides the original Hebrew audio track - while Portuguese and not English dubbing is made available. The soundtrack does an excellent job of capturing the ambient noises, while the scenes of a racquetball game, the play Fiddler on the Roof and a rehearsal of a drum performance provide just a bit of extra punch.
The Extras
The bonus features in Footnote are not just a footnote, but it isn't much beyond a bibliography's worth of material. There is a nearly half hour long Behind the Scenes look at the film, along with a Q&A with the director. The bonus material is rounded out by a soundtrack advertisement, a theatrical trailer and previews of other Sony titles.
Final Thoughts
While billed as a comedy, this one isn't really even a dark comedy. It is a hard look at an unhappy man and the efforts his son goes to as a way to bring them closer. It is an enjoyable film, and looks and sounds great on Blu-ray, but again it isn't really a comedy as much as a drama with some light moments.
Product Details
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