The betting is that Portman’s muted passion project will remain a niche theatrical performer that will fit comfortably on VOD and home-video platforms. Because Tale is in Hebrew, the movie could face obstacles in the US, where subtitled films rarely become breakout hits. Premiering as a Cannes Special Screening, A Tale Of Love And Darkness boasts Portman’s drawing power - she’s not just the director and screenwriter but also the film’s star - as well as the popularity of the Oz novel from which the movie is based. This is one of Portman’s warmest, saddest performances, but it’s also surprisingly superficial. Indeed, an overly self-conscious somberness infuses the film, keeping this heartrending tale from being as poignant as it could be. First-time feature director Natalie Portman has taken on a considerable challenge with this adaptation of Amos Oz’s memoir of his upbringing in Israel and the sad decline of his mother, and she’s not wholly successful in the endeavour. A minor-key drama about a mother whose poetic soul has a profound effect on her son, A Tale Of Love And Darkness is very much like its matriarch: lovely, mysterious but also a bit insular and ephemeral.
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