The Property by Dana Modan
Screened at the Paris Israeli Film Festival.
The Paris Israeli Film Festival returns from March 17 to March 25, 2025, at Cinéma Majestic Passy for a 25th edition full of discoveries.
Created by Charles Zrihen, and now lead by Hélène Schoumann and her artistic director Armelle Bayou, it has, for a quarter of a century, this unmissable event has highlighted the talents of Israeli cinema, offering a unique perspective on a society in constant transformation through engaging, intimate, and powerful works.
To celebrate this anniversary edition, the program is packed: feature films, documentaries, classics, special events, series, and short films will all be in the spotlight.
Here is the official trailer:
PODCAST ON BEST FILMS OF THE PARIS ISRAELI FILM FESTIVAL 2025
THE PROPERTY (La Propriété) – Directed by Dana Modan
Starring Rivka Michaeli, Sharon Strimban, Andrzej Seweryn, Piotr Pacek.
Based on the graphic novel by her sister Rutu Modan.
Two months after her son’s death, Regina travels to Poland with her granddaughter Mika to reclaim her family’s property, confiscated by the Polish authorities during World War II.
But Regina has another secret mission: to find her first love, whom she was forced to leave 70 years ago.
A Past That Won’t Fade Away
Cinema rarely explores the theme of returning to the lands left behind before the Holocaust, and The Property, directed by Dana Modan, follows this path, much like Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain.
Here, Warsaw serves as the backdrop for a story where past and present intertwine in haunting ways.
Regina, portrayed with striking intensity by Rivka Michaeli, returns to Poland under the pretense of reclaiming her family’s apartment, which she was forced to leave before the war. But this legal pursuit hides a deeper wound: as a young woman, she had been pregnant with a Polish man she loved and tried to flee with him—until the police, summoned by her own parents, arrested her.
Torn apart, he remained in Poland while she was sent to Palestine with her family, never to see him again.
Seventy years later, she embarks on this pilgrimage with her granddaughter Mika (Sharon Strimban, a revelation in the film).
Between Memory and Lost Illusions
Regina’s return to Warsaw quickly turns into an emotional journey through a city where history’s weight is omnipresent. Memory is reshaped for tourism, with questionable reenactments meant to engage younger generations. Yet, beneath a façade of commemoration, traces of antisemitism still linger in seemingly well-intentioned words.
In this mirror-like city, Mika finds herself drawn to a young Polish tour guide who is genuinely interested in her. However, she senses an ambiguity in his fascination, as if his attraction is also tied to an unconscious search for connection with his country’s Jewish past. This unspoken tension creates a subtle unease, blurring the lines between personal feelings and inherited history.
But can one truly go back?
Regina’s quest collides with a truth she may not have anticipated. Like the city itself, family memory is not a page that can simply be reopened at will.
The film captures this dizzying confrontation between nostalgia and the impossibility of reclaiming what has been lost forever.
A Stellar Cast Elevating the Story
Beyond its powerful subject matter, The Property owes much of its impact to its exceptional cast.
Rivka Michaeli, a legendary Israeli actress, brings raw emotion to Regina, while Sharon Strimban, a true discovery, infuses Mika with a compelling mix of youthful insouciance and deep introspection.
Their chemistry is undeniable, giving this journey through memory a profound universal resonance.
A powerful film about transmission, love, and the impossibility of rewriting the past—where history, far from being fixed, continues to evolve through those who carry it forward.
Special screenings: March 22 at 4:00 PM – with director Dana Modan
Discover the full lineup and book your tickets at festivalcineisraelien.com.
More about the festival:
LISTEN TO FALAFEL CINEMA, THE FRENCH PODCAST OF ISRAELI MOVIES
