‘Redemption’ lies between rock (and roll) and a hard place

It’s easy to imagine a Hollywood remake of  “Redemption,” an unexpected Israeli drama about a forty-something widower who reunites his old rock band in order to pay for his daughter’s cancer treatments.

It writes itself: A buddy comedy in which the guys dredge up old grudges, rediscover their affection for each other, confront commitment and mortality and are saved by rock and roll, one more time, from lives of quiet desperation. Sentimental, uplifting and a box office smash. (You can thank me with an executive producer credit and 1 percent of the gross.)

But that’s not this movie. Yossi Madmoni and Boaz Yehonatan Yaacov’s “Redemption” is, at its core, a study of a midlife crisis. Hanging on by a thread, Menachem (or Menny, as his bandmates call him) reaches into his past for help. But how often does the road back lead to a path to the future?

“Redemption” is smart and compelling, and determined to earn every iota of any feel-good resolution.

Read more at the Washington Jewish Week.