Asaf Korman must have realised that the chances of his film Next To Her becoming a box office hit were slight. He is, after all, a first time feature director and the subject he chose for the movie is not remotely commercial - a frank and at times uncomfortable portrayal of the co-dependent relationship between a school security officer and her seriously learning disabled sister. Yet critics and audiences in Israel and beyond have raved about the film and Korman - delighted if slightly bemused - has attended screenings at festivals around the world, including Cannes and London. The movie is also part of next month's UK Jewish Film Festival.
Bleary eyed after a flight from his most recent festival appointment in South Korea, Korman, 32, is the latest in a succession of young, talented Israeli directors to produce outstanding work, in his case on a shoestring. And he has made a virtue of necessity.
He made an impact with his graduation movie, Death of Shula, which also showed at Cannes, and subsequently worked as an editor on some of Israel's biggest commercial hits. He was busy but not progressing with his ambition to be a director. His wife, Liron Ben-Shlush, decided to write a film about the relationship with a learning-disabled sibling, based on that of her and her own sister. "She had this crazy idea - which was clearly not going anywhere because it was so strange - about these two sisters with a co-dependency. It was not a true story but it was inspired by Liron's relationship with her own sister who has a learning disability. She took her sister's character and put it into a different setting.
"It was important for Liron because she always had problems with stories about people with learning disabilities because they were either exploitative or showed parents heroically making sacrifices for their children," Korman adds. "We wanted a true depiction of life with someone like this."
The stark portrayal of the relationship between the two sisters is a gripping cinematic experience - at times claustrophobic but ultimately touching. And, appropriately enough for a film about siblings, its making was a family affair. Ben-Shlush wrote the screenplay and took the main role while Korman was faced with the task of finding an actress who was equipped to play the part of the severely disabled sister. Again, a solution was found very close to home.
"Dana Ivgy is one of Israel's best young actresses and she also happened to be a friend of mine - in fact, she was my best friend from before we went to high school. She also knew Liron well and knew about her sister. So this casting would automatically give me the intimacy that I was looking for. She worked with Liron's sister for a long time and she also talked to doctors in order to be familiar with the effects of all the medication."
The result is a stunning depiction by Ivgy of the character of Gabby, complete with all the ticks and mannerisms.
If it was strange for Ben-Shlush to play opposite an actress and friend portraying her own sister, it must have been even weirder for Korman to cast an actor to play his wife's boyfriend, particularly as he was going to film them in sex scenes.
However, the strength of their relationship meant this was not a problem. "I had such trust in her so in the end this wasn't difficult. I found someone called Jacob Daniel who had played lots of small parts in films but had never played a leading role. I felt that he was someone Liron might have fallen for in real life. In fact, he reminded me of one her ex-boyfriends."
Film funds in Israel were very enthusiastic about the script but were wary about the non-commercial nature of the project. So while they all contributed funding, the amounts were small, leaving Korman to rehearse the small cast to the point where filming could be completed in 20 days.
"Everything that could have gone wrong had already happened in rehearsals so we felt ready," he recalls. "On set it was the most perfect experience a director could ask for. When we came to film it we were already like a small family. And despite the dark nature of some of the material it was also very funny on set."
Korman is particularly satisfied with the reaction of those who work in the field of learning disability in Israel. "We worked a lot with hostels and social workers in Israel and they loved the result. Rather than show total neglect or the selfless sacrifice of the parents, we were trying to bring out the ambivalence of the relationship. There were a couple of scenes I was worried about - one where Chelli [Ben-Shlush] almost drowns Gabby in the bath. And another one in which she does nothing when Gabby is banging her head on the floor. But this was meant to be an honest portrayal and I felt I had to show these things."
There was also another event which added a layer of depth and meaning to the film in the eyes of Korman and Ben-Shlush.
In the middle of writing the script, Ben-Shlush gave birth to the couple's first child - a boy who is now four. "It was a crazy year and during that time we realised that the film was not just about living with a disabled sibling. It was also about the inner conflicts of people who have to care for someone, whether that is a young child, a sibling or an elderly parent."
Despite the filming being easy, there were differences of opinion between writer and director during the editing. "Normally the director/editor would not allow the screenwriter or the lead actor to play a part in the editing process. But she is my wife so what can I do? If I could give advice to any young director like me it would be not to sleep with the writer during editing."
