Three Floors Up

Eshkol Nevo “Three Floors” — three heart-rending confessions, in which the characters admit their sins, and we decide whether to let them go—while passing judgment, above all, on ourselves.

A quiet suburb of Tel Aviv, a prosperous apartment building. On the first floor lives a happy family with two children. Sometimes the older daughter is looked after by elderly neighbors. The girl’s father, a former soldier, suspects that the old man’s intentions are far from innocent, and he’s determined—whatever it takes—to dig for the truth.

Hani, a young mother on the second floor, raises two little children on her own. Her husband is constantly away on business trips, and Hani throws herself into motherhood, forgetting about her dreams and ambitions. An uninvited guest appearing on her doorstep snaps her out of her daze—and forces her to cross the line.

Dvara is the widow on the third floor. Many years ago, her only son committed a terrible crime and then broke off relations with the family. And now Dvara leaves messages on the answering machine of her late husband, trying to figure out who is actually guilty.