Restoration

Restoration

Year: 2011

Runtime: 102 mins

Language: Hebrew

Director: Yossi Madmoni

Drama

A drama about a family’s effort to save their antique restoration business.

Bittersweet
Ambiguous ending
Moderately emotional
Medium intensity
Slow pacing
Simple story

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Timeline & Setting – Restoration (2011)

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Time period

Contemporary

The story unfolds in contemporary times, set against a modern Tel Aviv shaped by a real-estate surge. An aging craftsman clings to his traditional methods as banks and developers reshape the urban landscape. The period emphasizes the clash between long-standing craft and rapid market-driven change.

Location

Tel Aviv, Downtown Tel Aviv

Situated in downtown Tel Aviv, the Malamud & Fidelman workshop is a small, meticulous shop where every piece is restored with old-world care. The surrounding neighborhood is undergoing a real-estate boom, pushing traditional crafts to the edge of profitability. The space is filled with dust, tools, and a sense of history that anchors the film’s conflicts.

🏛️ Urban workshop 🧰 Craft heritage 📈 Real-estate boom

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:38

Main Characters – Restoration (2011)

Meet the key characters of Restoration (2011), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Yaakov Fidelman (Sasson Gabai)

Yaakov is an aging master craftsman whose pride in precise standards defines his life. He loves the work and keeps meticulous control over every detail, resisting the practical pressures to retire. He depends on Max Malamud for financial matters, making him vulnerable when the partner dies. With the business faltering and banks denying loans, Yaakov must confront whether his legacy can survive without his former partner.

🪵 Traditional Craft 🎯 Meticulous 💼 Financially Naive

Hava (Sarah Adler)

Hava is a sensitive, artistic woman married to Noah and heavily pregnant. She feels neglected by Noah's busy schedule and becomes drawn to Anton's artistic energy. Her pregnancy raises the emotional stakes and complicates loyalties within the workshop's fragile ecosystem.

🤰 Pregnant 🎨 Artistic 💖 Complex Loyalty

Anton (Henry David)

Anton is a mysterious, talented young man who becomes Yaakov's helper and apprentice. He believes in the piano's potential to save the workshop and resorts to stealing to pay for a costly part. He hides his past and mounts a quiet challenge to Yaakov and Noah by staking his future on the piano.

🎹 Pianist 🕵️‍♂️ Mysterious 💡 Ambitious

Noah Fidelman (Nevo Kimchi)

Noah is Yaakov's grandson, a successful lawyer who views the workshop as a relic of the past. He pressures Yaakov to retire and cash out, chasing a lucrative real-estate deal in the changing neighborhood. He distrusts the piano project and worries about family legacy colliding with financial opportunity.

💼 Ambitious ⚖️ Legal Mind 🏢 Real-Estate Focus

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:38

Major Themes – Restoration (2011)

Explore the central themes of Restoration (2011), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🏛️ Legacy

Yaakov's craft is presented as a lifework, a legacy built through decades of patient work. The real-estate boom threatens the ability to sustain the workshop, forcing a choice between keeping the craft alive and pursuing profit. Anton’s talent challenges Noah’s plan to liquidate the business for a lucrative sale. The film asks what it means to carry forward a life’s work when the world around you changes.

💘 Love

Anton’s arrival awakens a forbidden attraction to Hava, Noah’s wife. Hava is neglected by a busy husband and carries a pregnancy, intensifying the stakes. The romance complicates loyalties and creates a personal conflict at the heart of the workshop’s fate.

🎨 Craft

Restoration is not merely a job but a philosophy that shapes the characters' decisions. Anton’s piano project becomes a symbol of restoring a lost legacy, even as it tests moral boundaries. The tension between preserving craft and pursuing financial gain drives the narrative.

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:38

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Restoration Summary

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More About Restoration

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