Noodle ( he, נודל) is a 2007

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i film directed by

Ayelet Menahemi Ayelet Menahemi ( he, איילת מנחמי; born 1963) is an Israeli film director, producer, writer, editor, and actress. Life and Works Menahemi was born in Tel Aviv in 1963. She attended Beit Zvi School of Stage and Cinematic Arts, graduati ...

, written by

Shemi Zarhin Shimon "Shemi" Zarhin ( he, שמעון "שמי" זרחין, born 1961) is an Israeli novelist and film director. He was born in Tiberias and studied film at Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת ...

and Ayelet Menahemi, and starring Mili Avital, Chen Baoqi, and

Alon Aboutboul Alon Moni Abutbul (or Aboutboul, he, אלון מוני אבוטבול; born 28 May 1965) is an Israeli actor. He won the IFFI Best Actor Award (Male) at the 44th International Film Festival of India. Early life Abutbul was born in Kiryat Ata, ...

Plot

When the Chinese woman working in Israel for Miri Kalderon, an Israeli

flight attendant A flight attendant, also known as steward/stewardess or air host/air hostess, is a member of the aircrew aboard commercial flights, many business jets and some government aircraft. Collectively called cabin crew, flight attendants are prima ...

, is suddenly deported for overstaying her work visa, her lack of Hebrew-language skills makes it impossible for her to convince the Israeli authorities that she has a young child with her. Miri, twice-widowed because of the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflicts, has been going through the motions of living, somehow detached from a real connection to life itself. Her decision to help reunite the child—nicknamed "Noodle"—with his mother, now back in Beijing, ends up helping her, not just the boy and his mother, in ways Miri herself could not have expected.

Cast

;Main cast * Mili Avital (Miri Calderone) * Chen Baoqi (Noodle) ;Supporting characters *

(Izzy Sason) * Sinaya Ben-Dor (Ilana) *

Yiftach Klein Yiftach Klein ( he, יפתח קליין; born 28 September 1972) is an Israeli actor. He has been nominated for two Ophir Awards for Best Supporting Actor in 2007 for ''Noodle'' and for Best Actor in 2011 for his role in ''Policeman''.

(Mati Gueta) * Daphna Shpigelman (Batya) * Sarit Vino-Elad (Dafna) * Anat Waxman (Gila Sason) * Roni Yuria (Yaeli) * Ilana Yagel/Armelle Bodiguel (Mati's ex-girlfriend in China)

Awards

The film won the Best Supporting Actress Award from the Israeli Film Academy (Ophir Awards), and a Special Grand Prize of the Jury from the 2007

Montreal World Film Festival The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...

.IMDB.com awards.
/ref> It also won numerous other awards at film festivals throughout the United States and around the world, including the award for Best Feature Film Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Jersey Shore Film Festival. The film was an official nominee for numerous Israeli Film Academy Awards, including Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Film, Best Music, Best Screenplay, and Best Sound.

Critical responses

As one review put it, "This Israeli film about grief and loss surprisingly takes the form of a crowd pleaser." Other reviewers agreed, noting that films like ''Noodle'' are rare, combining great stories and performances with enough "heart" to involve the audience emotionally. Ultimately, as a review from the 18th annual Tucson Jewish Film Festival put it, "The film is a touching comic-drama of two human beings accompanying each other on a remarkable journey that takes them both back to a meaningful life."
/ref>

Remake

A French remake entitled ' was released in 2013. The film was directed by

Léa Fazer Léa Fazer (born 20 April 1965) is a Swiss film director, screenwriter and actress. She studied film at the University Paris Diderot. Her film '' Bienvenue en Suisse'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard (, meaning 'a certain glance') is a ...

, co-written by Fazer and

Benoît Graffin Benoît Graffin (born 14 August 1966) is a French screenwriter and film director. In 1998 he won a development grant for '' Café de la plage'' in the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival. Filmography As a writer: *'' The Trouble With You ...

, and stars

Alice Taglioni Alice Taglioni (born 26 July 1976) is a French actress. Personal life Alice Taglioni was born in Ermont, Val-d'Oise. She is the daughter of an Italian man from Lombardy. She was Miss Corsica in 1996, but refused to participate in the election ...

Virginie Efira Virginie Efira (born 5 May 1977) is a Belgian actress and television presenter. Efira got her first leading role in the romantic comedy ''It Boy'' (2013). She subsequently received critical praise for her performance in the comedy drama '' In Be ...

Mehdi Nebbou Mehdi Nebbou (born 10 January 1974) is a French actor. Biography Nebbou was born on 10 January 1974 in Bayonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France, to a German mother and an Algerian father. His brother is the film director Safy Nebbou. He started ...

, Philippe Lefebvre and

Léo Legrand Léo Legrand is a French actor. He is best known for playing the role of Thomas in ''Trouble at Timpetill'' and playing the role of Thomas Verniaz in ''A Distant Neighborhood''. The latter film earned him a Young Artist Award nomination in the ca ...

among others.

References

External links

Movie review and trailer, "At the Movies," ABC.More complete list of awards and screenings at film festivals.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noodle (Film) Israeli comedy-drama films 2007 films 2000s Hebrew-language films Films directed by Ayelet Menahemi Films about flight attendants Aviation films