FILM FEST REVIEW
Enemies, a love story

  This is director Paul Mazursky’s finest. It’s an adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s story about anti-hero Herman Broder, a Holocaust survivor from Poland and the three women in his life who all happen to be wives. His wives. Their collision is inevitable.

   The cinematic metaphor is Coney Island’s wonder wheel that spins and spins. The more it spins, the more the audience realizes that Herman Broder is spinning – out of control.

   With meticulous detail, Mazursky captures the zeitgeist of 1949 Brooklyn, the Bronx, the Lower East Side and the Catskills. Bursting with flavor, “Enemies” is the only adaptation of his work to film that Singer genuinely liked. Humor, pathos, charm, memorable characters, inspired acting and the IBS mystical magic coupled with Mazursky’s affectionately artful direction, makes this a winner. If you haven’t seen it since its 1989 release, it’s time to see it again.

by Sue Garson 

Saturday, Feb. 19, 6:15 p.m.
Ultrastar Poway Creekside Plaza 10, 13475 Poway Rd., Poway

Sunday, Feb. 20, 1 p.m.
AMC La Jolla 12 Theatres, 8557 Villa La Jolla Drive, La Jolla

Conversations with director Paul Mazursky to follow both screenings.


For feedback, contact editor@sdjewishjournal.com.


For Tickets, call (858)362-1348

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