An award-winning film with a decidedly unusual story line will be presented today and next Sunday as another entry in the Jewish Film Project, a joint venture of the Film Center of the School of the Art Institute and the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.
Conceived and executed by a group of friends from within the Argentine-Israeli community, “The Revenge of Itzik Finkelstein”-directed by Enrique Rottenberg-was Israel’s entry in the 1994 Academy Awards.
Characterized as a wildly comic moral fantasy, it has won seven Israeli Academy Awards-including best film, best direction and a special “Performance of the Decade” award for Moshe Ivgi (known as the Charlie Chaplin of contemporary Israel) as the title character.
As for that plot, here’s the official summary, if you’re ready:
“Itzik is a 40-year-old nebbish who sleeps on the couch at his mother’s home while he plots to launch a successful business venture which will turn his life around. With every penny he can muster, Itzik imports 50,000 key rings featuring a miniature plastic monk who, if squeezed, obliges by exposing himself.
“To Itzik’s utter amazement, this Taiwanese marvel does not corner the Israeli market. On the verge of suicide, Itzik hurls one of his unsold imports across the room, and out pops a life-size clergyman, persuasively preaching a distinctive gospel of salvation through vengeance. . . .”
Those seeking to discover the resolution should know that the screenings will be at noon today and next Sunday at the Skokie Theater, and at 6 p.m. the same days at the Film Center. Tickets will be sold at the door, and they also may be purchased in advance by calling the Spertus Institute at 312-322-1769.