Official Trailer for Israeli Bittersweet Comedy ‘Karaoke’ Set in Tel Aviv
by Alex Billington
October 3, 2023
Source: YouTube
“You live with a man for 40 years and you don’t even know him.” Greenwich Ent. has revealed the official US trailer for an Israeli indie comedy called Karaoke, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Moshe Rosenthal. This first premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and also played at the Jerusalem, Hamptons, Raindance, and Tallinn Black Nights Film Festivals last year. Now it’s set for US release in select theaters this November. A bittersweet comedy about a middle-class suburban couple in their 60s who are drawn to their new neighbor, a charismatic bachelor who has karaoke evenings at his apartment. Described in reviews as a “fantastic offbeat comedy” that’s “smart, funny, & beautiful.” The film stars Sasson Gabay, Rita Shukrun, and Lior Ashkenazi. This looks a smart commentary on modern society in Tel Aviv, not only about gender dynamics, but also about social status and relationships and so much more. Worth a look.
Here’s the official US trailer (+ poster) for Moshe Rosenthal’s Karaoke, direct from YouTube:
In Karaoke, Meir (Sasson Gabay of The Band’s Visit and Shtisel) and Tova (Rita Shukrun) are a long-married couple living in an upscale high-rise in Tel Aviv. Itsik (Lior Ashkenazi) is their new neighbor, a worldly modeling agent and bachelor. The couple attend Itsik’s karaoke parties and soon become obsessed with him, competing with each other, and other residents of the building, for his attention. Karaoke is both written and directed by Israeli filmmaker Moshe Rosenthal, a graduate of the Tisch School of Film & TV at Tel Aviv University, making his feature directorial debut after a number of other short films previously. Produced by Efrat Cohen. This initially premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival last year, and opened in Israel that fall. Greenwich Entertainment will release Moshe Rosenthal’s Karaoke in select US theaters on November 17th, 2023, then on VOD starting December 19th this fall. For details, visit their official site.