Looking for Love in All The Wrong Places: Interview with Jonathan Gurfinkel of "SIX ACTS"

One of the young talents at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival is Israeli TV Director Jonathan Gurfinkel who presents his startling and disturbing first feature, Six Acts (Shesh Peamin).

Powered by the haunting performance of young actress Sivan Levy, it is the story of Gilly, a sixteen year old girl who transfers to a new Tel-Aviv high school and looks for love in all the wrong places.

As Gilly's quest for acceptance leads her into ever sadder and more dangerous situations, the film does not shy from its exploration of sexual abuse in a land-of-the-lotus-eaters beachside setting of teenage longing, confusion and callousness.

Fest21 (Suzanne Lynch) sat down with Six Acts director Jonathan Gurfinkel to discuss his choices.

Fest 21: Six Acts is so realistic that I wasn't surprised to find out that it was based on a true story.  Why did you did decide to turn this story into your first feature film? 

JG:   I'm not sure why, I just felt this story is so commonly heard, yet rarely told this way.

Fest 21: Did your vision of the story that you wanted to tell at the start match the final outcome? Or what did you learn in the process of making this film?

JG:    I've been asked a lot whether some parts of the film were improvised, and the answer is no. Lucky for me, I had a great script (by Rona Segal) and an amazing cast (starring Sivan Levy), so very few changes were actually made on set, or in the editing room.

I had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted, except for the ending maybe. I tend to work on the script and do many rehearsals, so there are very few surprises. On the other hand, I almost never do a shooting script. That's where I am a little bit more "free style." My D.O.P Shark De-Mayo and I communicate without even speaking sometimes. 

Fest 21:  And how did you come to cast the very talented Silvan Levy?

JG:    She was actually my first choice. It didn't stop me from demanding the casting director to bring 300 young actresses for the auditions... But Sivan was always the right choice.

Fest 21: I know you have said that the film expresses no judgment, yet explores issues of consent and exploitation. What kind of tone were you searching for in the movie?

JG:     I wanted to leave as much room as possible for the viewer to make his own interpretations. Of course this film was made with an agenda. but the agenda is not part of the movie. it's in the processing, in the aftermath maybe.

Fest 21: Do you feel that today's teenagers are hyper-sexual to the point of danger? 

JG:    Actually I don't think things were better "then" than they are now for young people. Even 60-year-olds who see our movie, would sometime recall "that slut" they had in their class/neighborhood and how everybody "went for her", and how no one thought there was anything wrong about it. In Israel, in the 60's, an affair between an 18 year old female solider and her commander was almost mandatory... That must have also sucked. 

Still I admit the availability of porno at young ages nowadays probably changes the way teens think sex "should look like", with all the consequences of that. 

Fest 21: Why did you choose what might be seen as an open-ended ending?

JG:    I'm not sure how open the ending really is...

Fest 21: What question do you wish someone would ask you about Six Acts that nobody has asked to date?

JG:    How much money do you need for your next feature film? Because I just happen to have a blank check here....