Yana's Friends

Released Jul 5, 1999

1h 30m

Romance

Comedy

List

100%

Tomatometer

30 Reviews

72%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

As Iraqi scud missiles fly overhead and an entire country locks itself into airtight rooms, Yana (Evelyn Kaplun) and her fellow Russians wrestle with the challenges facing them in their new life in Israel during the Gulf War. Yana's husband has left her and she shares an apartment with Eli (Nir Levy), a photographer with a passion for casual sex. While in threat of poisonous gas their stories merge and love blossoms.

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Critics Consensus

A heartwarming movie that handles some weighty subjects with humor.

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

The movie won 10 Israeli Academy Awards and prizes at various film festivals. It's easy to see why.

Nov 15, 2002

Full Review

Jane Sumner

Dallas Morning News

Warm, bittersweet and charming.

Rated: B+

Jul 11, 2002

Full Review

Damon Smith

Boston Globe

A tender, spirited look at love and community in the midst of war.

Rated: 3/4

Jun 21, 2002

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 4/5

Aug 3, 2005

Full Review

Jamie Gillies

Apollo Guide

Portrays not only the fear that Israelis live with every day, but also the difficulties in a nation where people are arriving from all over the world, not knowing Hebrew.

Rated: 71/100

Feb 9, 2004

Full Review

Greg Muskewitz

eFilmCritic.com

Rated: 3/5

Dec 22, 2003

Full Review

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David H

I enjoyed the oddball cast of characters, plus it gave me a little insight into what it's like to live in Israel as an immigrant. Not a bad film.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/04/22

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a lovely romantic comedy which made me laugh in many scenes. I think you need to see it yourself and not read a sypnosis on it. Highly recommended.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Absolutely lo-o-o-o-ved the 'Russian' characters :))) And the ending can't leave anyone indifferent

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the more twisted love plots I've run across. Funny and twistd.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's hard to like a film when one doesn't really sympathize with few (if any) of the characters. I've seen worse Israeli films, but I have also seen many that are far better.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

it's no surprise that this wonderful Israeli film collected so many Israeli oscars. Moments of humor are balanced by moments of pathos as the characters endure difficulties and successes, ups and downs, in their daily lives during the Gulf War.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

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Arik Kaplun

Director

Evelyn Kaplun

Yana

Nir Levy

Eli

Shmil Ben-Ari

Yuri Kalantarov

Mosko Alkalai

Yitzhak

Dalia Friedland

Rosa

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Synopsis

As Iraqi scud missiles fly overhead and an entire country locks itself into airtight rooms, Yana (Evelyn Kaplun) and her fellow Russians wrestle with the challenges facing them in their new life in Israel during the Gulf War. Yana's husband has left her and she shares an apartment with Eli (Nir Levy), a photographer with a passion for casual sex. While in threat of poisonous gas their stories merge and love blossoms.

Director: Arik Kaplun
Producer: Anat Bikel, Moshe Levinson, Marek Rozenbaum, Uri Sabag
Screenwriter: Arik Kaplun, Simon Vinokur
Distributor: Friends of Film
Production Co: Israeli Film Fund, Paralight Ltd., Transfax Film Productions
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 5, 1999, Original
Release Date (DVD): Feb 25, 2003
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.0K
Runtime: 1h 30m