I recommend this movie. You can watch it sans ads on Amazon Prime, or for free, with ads, on Tubi and the Roku Channel, or completely free with no ads on the library outlet, Kanopy. And, if you ever want to know if and where you can stream something, please go to justwatch.com - it's a great resource, especially when my friends in Australia and the U.K. recommend shows and it turns out they're unavailable for streaming in the U.S.
I can't tell you how I found out about "Golden Voices," but you do know that my standard is 80%+ on the critics' meter on Rotten Tomatoes. I will watch something in the high seventies, but below that... The "New York Times" recommended a fascinating film last week, "Paradise." Bottom line, you cash in future years of your life for a benefit today, a great concept. But it's only got a 55% critics' rating and I'm afraid to dive in, the last time the "Times" recommended a sub-80% movie and I took the time to watch it I ultimately wanted my two hours back. In other words, the "Times" recommendations have a credibility issue with me. But "Golden Voices" has a 100% RT critics' score, and an 80% audience score. Beware of the audience score, it oftentimes is completely whacked. Like on that series "The Offer," you know, the one about the making of "The Godfather." It's got a 95% audience score, but only a 57% critics' score. People have been imploring me to watch this series to this day. But the truth is it's wildly inaccurate, it got some of the worst reviews of all time, and that's not how I want to use my time. Call me a highbrow, I'll own it. Movies are not entertainment for me, they're a true life experience, one that takes me away from everyday life and touches my heart. I want to bond with the flick, I want to feel like I'm the only one watching. I want to think about it when it's over. And that's why I won't go to see the superhero movies... Meanwhile, am I the only one who didn't read comic books growing up? I just didn't get it. There was too much left out, and all that writing over pictures? I'd rather read a book.
So...
The key to great entertainment is emotion. I'm not talking about singing with melisma, showing off, I'm talking about connecting with me emotionally. That was a feature of the dark music of the past, but it's hard to find in hit music today. Most stuff is obvious, it's about partying, being a member of the club...and I don't ever want to be a member of that club. I go to the show to see the act, not to hang with my friends.
Anyway, the main character in "Golden Voices" is a highbrow, he reveres Fellini.
Well, let me go back a chapter. What you've got here is two Russian immigrants to Israel just after the fall of Communism. They were famous film dubbers in Russia, but what are they going to do for work in Israel?
Displacement. I've been there. You're in a new town, a new situation, it can be lonely, depressing, you dig down deep and carry on into the wilderness, try to sustain your optimism, but it is very hard.
And then you've got love.
Your hopes and dreams... You know, your inner life. Don't tell me yours and I won't tell you mine. It's too hard to talk about. But when we see it on the screen it feels so good. Love, hope, connection... Relationships are the basic building block of humanity. It's in our DNA. We fantasize, we're desirous, and are our hopes dashed or fulfilled? We may be a desirable star in our own minds, but in the eyes of our crush?
So "Golden Voices" probably won't grip you from the very beginning, it's not that it's slow, it's just that it's not whiz-bang, which so many people expect from a film these days. And then the story evolves, the plot interweaves and you're right there with the characters, contemplating your choices, your life.
Yes, this is an Israeli film. With subtitles. I hope that doesn't turn you off. But it's not a heavy drama, it's not a slog, at times it's funny...it's akin to regular life. It demands very little of you, don't see viewing it as an assignment or a sentence...
I've already told you too much.
But if you're a foreign film fan, from back before the days of streaming, when you used to go to the art house, this is the kind of film you saw, that generated word of mouth. Now, with so much in the marketplace it's nearly impossible to gain notice.
So, if you're posting on TikTok, if you have no time to slow down, don't even bother. But if you can stop for an hour and a half... It's this downtime that inspires you. That's why vacations are critical. Your mind is cleared, it's open to new things...
I don't tell you about every series and film I watch. This is not a list service. I don't need you to judge me based on my level of consumption, never mind the quality of what I watch, but... It's hard for most people to find good stuff to watch. And everything I've watched in the last couple of weeks is not as good as "Golden Voices," so I figured I'd hip you to it. I watched three other movies in the past couple of days, I'd prefer to watch series, but we've already viewed so many of the greats, and this is the only one I can whole-heartedly recommend, even though the others were all over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
This is the type of movie that you'll want to talk about with others. Then again, part of the stimulation is personal. I really questioned one of the basic tenets of my life after viewing "Golden Voices." I don't want to overhype it, it's a small movie, but I do recommend it.
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