Israel Explores Its Dark Side With Psychological Thriller GOLDBERG & EISENBERG

There is a growing wave of genre film in Israel, a trend we first noticed thanks to the short films of Dan Sachar that built into a pair of zombie projects produced in the country over the past year. The prime example, however, is the international success of Rabies, a film billed as the country's first ever horror film which went on to huge success on the international festival circuit while being picked up for distribution around the world.

The success of Rabies has not gone unnoticed in Israel and now, for the first time, the national film fund has thrown their backing behind some dark genre fare.

Goldberg and Eisenberg is a new production that joins Rabies as another fresh direction in the Israeli cinema - hard-hitting genre movies with a strong horror inclination. The film, which has just finished the shooting stage and is now entering post-production, brings a disturbing take on the "psycho meets a normal guy" sub-genre, combining elements of film noir and psychological horror thrillers into an edgy drama.
 
In the tradition of dark suspense features such as Misery, Cape Fear and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, the film weaves a setting of erratic encounters which drastically evolves into an insane hunt across a bizarre and hectic Tel Aviv. Starting with black comic undertones, the story gradually gravitates into an unpredictable whirlwind of terror.
 
The film production itself seems to mark a significant step for the emerging wave of genre movies produced in Israel, being the first horror-thriller feature to receive funding from the Israeli Film Fund - the premiere and most prestigious local film fund. Traditionally known for its socially themed dramas geared towards the big film festivals (Cannes 2012 script winner Footnote and Oscar-nominees Ajami and Beaufort), Israel is now seeing a growing trend in genre-oriented filmmaking, arguably highlighted by the success of Rabies in 2011 across festivals all over the world.

Directed by Oren Carmi, we've been promised a trailer for Goldberg & Eisenberg soon but, in the meantime, you can look at the first four stills below.