Israel 2013
Dir.: Ofra Sarel-Koren
Pro.: Yahaly Gat
Sc.: Ofra Sarel-Koren
DP.: Ron Katzenelson, Guy Refael
Ed.: Bracha Zisman-Cohen
Music: Avi Benjamin
Source: Muse Productions, Kfar Saba
64 min., Hebrew, English Subtitles
Following a long string of illnesses, Shmulik Leshed decided, at the age of 55 and following a health book he read, to turn around the course of his life. In addition to his occupation as a well-known plumber in Haifa, he became a street player and a clown. Since then and to this very day, at the age of 100, he goes around Israel and the world, armed with an accordion, playing and making people happy.
For the past 15 years, Shmulik is accompanied by Mira, a Russian immigrant who is his faithful but exhausted caregiver, forced to follow him in his unexpected adventures and travels abroad. Shmulik refuses to take the tranquilizers his psychiatrist recommends and like the famous bunny in the battery commercial, he never tires. What is Shmulik‘s secret charm? This unpredictable film exposes the demanding, humoristic and compassionate relationship between Shmulik and Mira. It breaks stereotypes surrounding the issues of aging and challenges the reflexive way people perceive Shmulik, dismissing him as a "curiosity item" or just another nutty street beggar. Filmography: Jerusalem Frame by Frame (2012), The Wing Maker (2003), The House Where Cockroaches Die of Old Age (1996)