Review of Footnote (2011) by Ethan T — 30 Apr 2012

This engrossing little tale from Israel concerns a father and son pair of Talmudic scholars, and the envious guilt that taints their relationship when the son is lionised far in excess of his father, who has plodded away at his unsexy research for three decades.

This is not a film about academia in particular, although there are some entertaining asides about faculty politics. Rather, it's a family story about loyalty, pride and the consequences of individual actions.

It's like a more restrained Secrets and Lies, without the soul-crushing explosion of emotion - here, there is no cathartic release, but the protagonists must weigh up their professional ambition against blood ties and family responsibility.