The burden of choice, on the threshold of eternity, before the Lord has abolished! “Seven Minutes in Paradise” is more than a drama, it is more an existential parable, telling that the human soul has the right to choose both earthly and divine life. Undoubtedly strong and worthy work of Israeli filmmakers. I caught myself thinking that this picture reminded me of Vadim Perelman’s Moments of Life. And those who liked the film with Uma Thurman in the title role and liked it, will certainly appreciate this picture.
Israel. A young girl in hospital shaves a man as he is in a coma. She's not a nurse, she's a wife. On the hand of a woman, the viewer may notice something like a glove with cropped fingers. We don't know what the matter is yet, but soon the director will gradually wake us up. And the thing is, there was a terrorist attack in the city center, on a bus. The girl Galya (Raymond Amsalem) survived, and her husband Oren, after receiving severe injuries, died. Galia did not fall into a state of deep depression, but decided to find a paramedic who carried the wounded bodies.
And in a hopeless search, she meets one handsome young bearded man who does not claim anything, extends a helping hand to her in the form of not only spiritual attention and care, but as a carrier. He has a car and it's always at Galia's service. Galya does not yet realize that Johan, her new friend, is the ambulance paramedic.
The film balances on the verge of mysticism and reality. We see the heroine constantly smoking from nervous tension. Scars on the body begin to heal, and the soul bleeds. But to Galia's credit, you can't say that. She's holding up really well. She does not throw herself into Johan's arms, although she and her husband often quarreled. She only asks her friend never to be late for a meeting, as she blames herself for Oren's death: had she not been late for work, had Oren not run out after her, things might have turned out differently.
And of course the intrigue is what really happened. Maybe the answer lies in the reasoning put behind the brackets of the narrative? It would be an unforgivable mistake not to give this reasoning.
There are souls who ascend to heaven, but they are not yet ready. They're not ripe yet... The one who rises unprepared... The Creator allows him to see his next life. And choose whether he wants to return to her... The soul that chooses to return, only for a moment of union with the body, only at this very moment, it is possible to correct something.
P.S. In those moments when we manage to see Oren alive and healthy, we can not fail to notice a striking external similarity with the goalkeeper of the Spanish national team and Real Madrid, Iker Casillas.
10 out of 10