{"id":8085,"date":"2013-10-17T07:50:44","date_gmt":"2013-10-17T14:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=8085"},"modified":"2013-10-17T07:55:03","modified_gmt":"2013-10-17T14:55:03","slug":"zigzag-kid-film-fest-charmer-profiles-a-rascally-teen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/zigzag-kid-film-fest-charmer-profiles-a-rascally-teen\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Zigzag Kid,\u2019 film fest charmer, profiles a rascally teen"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Film newcomer Thomas Simon stars in the title role of \u201cThe Zigzag Kid.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nono is an exceedingly spirited, exceedingly imaginative Dutch kid who draws attention through mischievous stunts \u2014 particularly when they don\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

But he can be disarming.<\/p>\n

And so can \u201cThe Zigzag Kid,\u201d the coming-of-age film in which Thomas Simon stars as Nono, a 13-year-old two days from his bar mitzvah.<\/p>\n

\u201cZigzag,\u201d the opening-night entry of this year\u2019s San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, will play at the California Theater in Berkeley on Aug. 6 and at the Rafael Theatre in Marin on Aug. 12.<\/p>\n

The movie\u2019s storyline is deceptively simple: Nono wants to emulate his dad, whom they both steadfastly believe is the best police inspector in the world, and in the process searches for details about his mother\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Adventures ensue.<\/p>\n

Although that may not sound wholeheartedly enchanting, when you add the slickest thief in the world; the inventive secretary-girlfriend of the boy\u2019s father; and a seductive chanteuse marvelously portrayed by Isabella Rossellini (who\u2019s looking more and more like her mother, Ingrid Bergman, as she ages), you find yourself devouring a cinematic stew spiced to please.<\/p>\n

The 95-minute film \u2014 a fast-paced, subtitled Dutch-Belgian detective puzzler \u2014 contains way more whimsy and fantasy than a viewer might expect.<\/p>\n

Plus amusing umbrella hijinks. And disguises. And chases.<\/p>\n

With a modicum of poignancy.<\/p>\n

And that leaves no room to talk about the charming flick\u2019s top-notch production values.<\/p>\n

Purists may object to the movie\u2019s blurring of good and bad, but the movie\u2019s magic will make that mindset disappear quickly for most filmgoers.<\/p>\n

The SFJFF, the world\u2019s first and still largest Jewish film festival, this year \u2014 its 23rd \u2014 is screening 74 films from 26 countries in nine Bay Area venues.<\/p>\n

Berkeley and Marin screenings both will include an outstanding documentary, \u201cDancing in Jaffa,\u201d which traces a world-class dancer\u2019s efforts to teach dance to Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli youngsters and then pair them in competition.<\/p>\n

Another Marin highlight, which also will be shown in Oakland, is \u201cThe Trials of Muhammad Ali,\u201d which explores issues of race, identity, power and faith.<\/p>\n

A total of 39SFJFF films were slated for the California Theatre, 2113 Kittredge St., Berkeley, between Aug. 2 to 8. Thirteen films will screen at the Rafael Theatre, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael, between Aug. 10 and 12. Festival information can be found at (415) 621-0523 or www.sfjff.org.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Nono is an exceedingly spirited, exceedingly imaginative Dutch kid who draws attention through mischievous stunts \u2014 particularly when they don\u2019t work. But he can be disarming. And so can…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8085","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-woody-weingarten"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"