Life According To Agfa

Life According To Agfa

Year: 1992

Runtime: 100 mins

Language: Hebrew

Director: Assi Dayan

Drama

Set in Tel Aviv, much of the story unfolds inside a fictional bar named Barbie—a satirical nickname for an Israeli mental‑health institution. The name reflects the lives of its proprietor Daliah, the staff, and the patrons, whose interactions grow increasingly tense. A thread of violence runs through the story, ending in an unexpected climax.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Life According To Agfa (1992)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Life According To Agfa (1992). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Tel Aviv, Barbie pub (Abarbanel mental institution)

The story unfolds mostly inside a Tel Aviv pub named 'Barbie' (short for the Abarbanel mental institution), a gritty urban nightlife hub. It serves as a social crossroads where soldiers, workers, and patrons collide amid tension, harassment, and fragile human connections. The setting’s neon-lit interior contrasted with the outside world highlights the city’s rough edges and the characters’ desperate attempts to find belonging.

🏙️ Tel Aviv 🎭 Nightlife 🏥 Abarbanel mental institution

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:03

Main Characters – Life According To Agfa (1992)

Meet the key characters of Life According To Agfa (1992), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Benny (Shuli Rand)

A street-smart cop who tries to keep order at the Barbie pub while navigating his own moral compromises. He protects Ricky from the soldiers, but also manipulates events to serve his own interests during a drug operation. His actions reveal a blurred line between duty and self-preservation.

🧭 Cop 🛡️ Protector 🌀 Morally conflicted

Daliah (Gila Almagor)

The pub’s experienced owner/manager, who endures a volatile crowd and uses practical wisdom to keep the bar functioning. She embodies resilience in a harsh urban environment and serves as a steady point amid the surrounding chaos.

🏥 Pub owner 🗝️ Gatekeeper 🧭 Pragmatic

Ricky (Avital Dicker)

A depressed young woman who arrives seeking company after a doctor’s advice. She endures harassment and ends up in a vulnerable position, culminating in a tragic act that reverberates through the story.

💔 Lonely 🧠 Depressed 💊 Fragile

Nimi (Sharon Alexander)

A lieutenant colonel who arrives with her squad, exuding military authority and sometimes brutal control. Her presence intensifies the atmosphere of threat and power dynamics throughout the night.

🎖️ Military authority 🧱 Domineering 🧭 Power

Samir (Akram Tillawi)

Arab kitchen worker wrongly blamed for illegal activity. He becomes a focal point of conflict as he is targeted by the soldiers, highlighting themes of prejudice and scapegoating.

🧑‍🍳 Outsider 🗨️ Accused 🧭 Targeted

Moshe (Uri Klauzner)

A soldier and Benny’s partner in some operations; he represents the military’s involvement in civilian spaces and the complications of loyalty within dangerous assignments.

🪖 Soldier 🧭 Ally 👥 Partner

Levy (Shmil Ben Ari)

A member of the violent, rude group that challenges the pub’s environment and adds to the night’s volatility. His presence amplifies the film’s exploration of aggression and social clash.

💢 Violent 🧱 Aggressive 🗯️ Provocative

Malka (Rivka Neuman)

Part of the same disruptive group, Malka embodies rough insensitivity and disdain that complicates interactions at the pub and intensifies the conflict.

🗳️ Harsh 🗣️ Contemptuous 🧭 Social critic

Liora (Irit Frank)

A waitress at the pub who becomes entangled in Benny’s decisions and reacts with anger when betrayed. Her perspective adds a female viewpoint to the bar’s power dynamics.

🧵 Waitress 🧠 Vigilant 💬 Witness

Eli (Ezra Kafri)

The married partner of Daliah's management, who arrives with his wife to bid farewell, symbolizing intimate ties and the personal spheres that intersect with the bar’s turmoil.

👫 Partner 🧭 Bystander 🕊️ Observer

Ralph (Yoav Dekelbaum)

A UN soldier who becomes involved with Daliah, representing outside influence and a glimmer of cross-cultural connection within the night’s chaos.

🕊️ UN Soldier 🌍 Outsider 💞 Romantic spark

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:03

Major Themes – Life According To Agfa (1992)

Explore the central themes of Life According To Agfa (1992), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚔️ Power and Abuse

The film exposes how authority and dominance manifest through an army unit, pub regulars, and institutional structures. Ricky’s vulnerability is exploited by those who wield power, while Benny negotiates his own moral compromises to protect others. The clash between coercive force and personal ethics drives much of the tension and tragedy.

🤝 Loneliness and Connection

Characters seek solace and validation in a crowded, hostile environment. Benny and Ricky form a fragile bond amid harassment and danger, while Daliah runs a space where strangers briefly connect and collide. The pub becomes a fragile refuge where genuine care is repeatedly tested.

🌆 Societal Margins

The narrative brings together diverse social groups—the military, pub workers, and outsiders—highlighting tensions along power, ethnicity, and class. Samir, as an Arab worker, faces suspicion and scapegoating, illustrating how urban life can marginalize and criminalize individuals. The film probes how these divides shape interactions and injustices.

💔 Despair and Suicide

Ricky’s depression and eventual suicide cast a pall over the characters, revealing the consequences of neglect and moral ambiguity. The events around her highlight the fragility of human lives in a brutal urban landscape. The narrative interrogates responsibility for lives unraveled by loneliness and systemic cruelty.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:03

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Life According To Agfa Summary

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Life According To Agfa Timeline

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Life According To Agfa Timeline

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