Synopsis
Thomas, a young German baker, is having an affair with Oren, an Israeli married man who has frequent business visits in Berlin. When Oren dies in a car crash in Israel, Thomas travels to Jerusalem seeking for answers regarding his death. Under a fabricated identity, Thomas infiltrates the life of Anat, his lover’s newly widowed wife, who owns a small Café in downtown Jerusalem. Thomas starts to work for her, creating German cakes and cookies that bring her Café to life. Thomas finds himself involved in Anat’s life in a way far beyond his anticipation. To protect the truth he will stretch his lie to a point of no return.
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Cast
- Tim KalkhofThomas
- Sarah AdlerAnat
- Roi MillerOren Nachmias
- Zohar ShtraussMoti
- Sandra SadeHanna
- Tamir Ben YehudaItai Nachmias
- Stephanie StremlerSophia
- Tagel EliyahuDana
- Eliezer ShimonAvram
- Gal GonenClient
Recommendations
- 88
RogerEbert.com
Watching it, the film’s intelligent, well-crafted story and beautifully drawn characters seem to suggest literary roots. - 80
Screen Daily
Though the script rarely makes an unexpected choice, it’s the way that the film dissects its many underlying complications that matters more than eschewing predictability. Calmly, but filled with feeling, Graizer lets his protagonists’ actions and choices subvert the norm. - 80
Variety
Tracing with exemplary sensitivity the unlikely bond formed between a gay German baker and the Jerusalem-based widow of the man they both loved, Graizer’s film works a complex range of social and religious tensions into its heartsore narrative, without ever feeling sanctimonious or button-pushing. - 80
The New York Times
Sad and sweet, and with a rare lyricism, The Cakemaker believes in a love that neither nationality, sexual orientation nor religious belief can deter. - 80
Village Voice
The Cakemaker is more of a petit four than a belly bomb, but it’s striking in its particularity. - 80
Los Angeles Times
Culturally specific to its joint Berlin/Jerusalem setting but with themes that are universal, it joins an exploration of sexual fluidity and the nature of love and relationships with a strong plot that keeps you involved and guessing until the very end. - 75
Slant Magazine
The film binds its narrative to fascinating explorations of national identity, sexuality, and, of course, food. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
Graizer takes his time and never feels the need to spell everything out, and The Cakemaker is a testament to what filmmakers can achieve when they trust the audience.
