‘Tropicana‘ (2024) is the debut feature film of a young director – Omer Tobi -, known so far mainly for music-related films (music videos and a television series). And what a debut! In 82 minutes, this film (for which Omer Tobi also wrote the script) introduces us to a story of emotional and erotic suspense and presents us with a complex female character, whose life is turned upside down just when it seemed that she was approaching the age when nothing could happen anymore. I confess that I have not been so impressed by a debut film since Coralie Farget’s ‘Revenge’. In fact, there are several parallel lines in the creations of the two film directors and first of all the fact that they have something to say and that in order to do it with impact they are ready to go much further than many other filmmakers.
The main heroine of the film is called Orly and she is a cashier at a supermarket. Her life is divided between work and home where she takes care of a sick mother who needs special care, an indifferent husband and a son who suffers from obesity. The opportunity for a change arises when the head cashier is murdered. We know nothing about her or the motives for the crime. Orly insists and manages to get her job, along with a box of things that belonged to the murdered woman. Among them is a mobile phone. This will become the point of contact with her predecessor, who maintained a very different way of life, including erotic adventures in dangerous areas. Perhaps even her violent death was linked to these relationships. The dangers are obvious, but the temptation of change is also great, especially since everyday life seems to be an accumulated mass of failures and frustrations. Orly enters the world of the woman she replaced and what she discovers is astonishing in terms of situations and especially from the point of view of self-knowledge.
Omer Tobi, with the help of cinematographer Philippe Lavalette, creates a visual universe that suggests the heroine’s feelings: the cold and indifferent ugliness of the workplace, the crushing walls and corridors of the home, the dangers of the spaces she enters to consume her adventures. The camera is fixed most of the time (except for one scene), in the tradition of the way filmmakers like Yasujirô Ozu filmed interiors. In these uncomfortable spaces, the heroine’s life unfolds. Irit Sheleg is another great discovery for me. She creates a memorable character, a woman who struggles with destiny and advancing age, surrounded by people and alone at the same time, a woman who has probably never traveled far from where she lives and who nevertheless does not find her place or even a hint of hope. Fantasy with its dangers seems to be the only way that can bring about change. She assumes it reluctantly, with dignity, with humanity, but the price paid is immense – not socially, but especially personally. I did not notice until now this talented actress, who gives life to the character and supports the entire film. ‘Tropicana‘ is not an easy film. The concentration of drama and intense feelings that it proposes are like a bitter pill and full of psychological realism. I hope that what follows in Omer Tobi‘s career will be as good as this film and surpass it.