• Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer

11/17/18 (Sat), Tokyo

A Jewish mensch named Norman (a pitch-perfect Richard Gere) makes his living by introducing powerful people to other powerful people, hoping that some of the benefits will rub off on him. He hits the big time when a minor politician that he once befriended unexpectedly becomes Israeli prime minister. Unfortunately his sudden leap to fame leaves him unprepared for the burst of people seeking favors through his connections, which, desperate to feel important, he proves utterly unable to reject. He begins making impossible promises – finding a huge donation to rebuild a flailing synagogue, getting the prime minister’s son into Harvard – that gradually become a web entrapping him. Worse, his careless blabbing to a woman on a train about a gift he innocently offered the now-prime minister leads to disaster when she turns out to be a government official, who seeks to use the information to topple the government. As the situation spirals into crisis, Norman finds the courage for action, including a bold sacrifice.

The Israeli writer/director Joseph Cedar has constructed a deliciously dark comedy with terrific dialogue and pacing. He has masterful control, such as the tense scene where Norman is waiting anxiously in a slow-moving reception line wondering if the now-prime minister will remember him. I also loved the scene where Norman, having manipulated his way into a powerful person’s home, is embarrassingly ejected. The director carefully lays down the stakes and then brings them all together at the end, creating believable and memorable characters with no false notes throughout.

I would never have thought of Gere as a Jewish character, but he nails it. He has aged into an actor of great subtlety. He is eminently watchable in his anxiety to realize his offhand promises, turning the character’s compulsive need to put people together into more than just a way to make money: it’s how he justifies his own existence. His constant braggadocio is oddly endearing, making his end truly tragic. A terrific creation.

The Israeli star Lior Ashkenazi is a superb foil as prime minister. Also notable among a strong cast are Steve Buscemi in the unlikely role of rabbi (including some un-rabbi-like dialogue), Charlotte Gainsbourg as the Israeli government official, and Michael Sheen as Norman’s exasperated nephew. Highly recommended.

The Japanese advertising for the movie includes some patently offensive material in attempts to explain the Jewish content to local viewers, such as references to “Jew York” and the alleged political power of American Jews. (It asserted that Jews control the fate of presidential elections, which I found funny given the rise of Trump.) It could have been written by the Ku Klux Klan. While the movie does involve Jews (the director, as noted, is Israeli), it could really be about any tight community, such as Italian Americans or indeed the Japanese. I’m not surprised that the Japanese as usual have missed the point, but I would have expected more from the film’s distributor. Ah, well.