Best movies like Apples from the Desert

Having been gone for three years, closeted advertising executive Adrian returns to his Texas hometown and struggles to reveal his dire circumstances to his conservative family.

Giora (Assi Dayan) runs a bar and dreams of opening a restaurant. He has made a mess of his life — his marriage is in trouble, since he is pathologically cheating on his wife; his parents (Yosef Millo and Orna Porat) have separated; and his father arrives for an extended visit from Nahariya. Giora spends time with his army buddies, recalling their experiences during the War in Lebanon. His father is undergoing a major life crisis and finds both the loneliness of the city and his son's lifestyle unappealing. As a non-Jew in a Jewish society, he feels estranged, an outsider who has never been able to adapt, and contemplates suicide. Eventually, Giora's parents decide to attempt a reconciliation, until tragedy strikes.

A series of gruesome accidents plague a small American farming community in the summer of 1935, encircling two identical twin brothers and their family.

A young Jewish man is torn between tradition and individuality when his old-fashioned family objects to his career as a jazz singer. This is the first full length feature film to use synchronized sound, and is the original film musical.

Chantel Mitchell, a hip, articulate, black high-school girl in Brooklyn, is determined not to become "just another girl on the IRT" (the IRT is one of NYC's subway lines). She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. But personal and sexual challenges confront Chantel on her way to fulfilling these dreams.

The year 2000 approaches in Jerusalem's Orthodox Mea Shearim quarter, where the women work, keep house, and have children so the men can study the Torah and the Talmud. Rivka is happily and passionately married to Meir, but they remain childless. The yeshiva's rabbi, who is Meir's father, wants Meir to divorce Rivka: "a barren woman is no woman." Rivka's sister, Malka, is in love with Yakov, a Jew shunned by the yeshiva as too secular. The rabbi arranges Malka's marriage to Yossef, whose agitation when fulfilling religious duties approaches the grotesque. Can the sisters sort out their hearts' desires within this patriarchal world? If not, have they any other options?

In the conservative city of Jerusalem, Ami Shoshan, an Israeli football player, is forced by a mafia boss to pose as a homosexual, a punishment for flirting with the criminal's girlfriend. Shoshan is banned by players and fans of his team, but becomes a hero of the gay community.

When 11-year-old Gitty discovers that her father, Abe, a good and beloved farmer, is holding a wealthy man hostage in their abandoned silo in order to save their suffering farm, she befriends the captive in secret. As the truth unfolds about who he is and what will happen if he escapes, Gitty chooses to confront the thin line between reality and fiction.

After World War II, Antonia and her daughter, Danielle, go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia's late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down and joins a tightly-knit but unusual community. Those around her include quirky friend Crooked Finger, would-be suitor Bas and, eventually for Antonia, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who help create a strong family of empowered women.

Yitzhak runs the turkey farm his father built with his own two hands after they emigrated from Iran to Israel. When his son Moti turns thirteen, Yitzhak teaches him the trade, hoping that he will continue the proud family tradition. But Moti doesn't like working in the turkey barn; his passion is fixing up junkyard cars and bringing them back to life. Moti's mother Sarah tries to reconcile between the two, while his grandfather pushes Yitzhak to take a firm hand with his son. Yitzhak takes Moti's refusal to work in the turkey barn as a personal rejection. Though he loves his son dearly, he makes it his mission to impose the family farm on Moti. The arrival of Darius, the uncle from America, sets off a chain of events that will undermine the familial harmony. Soon enough Yitzhak will learn that his son is just as stubborn as he is. The conflict is inevitable.

Inspired by actual events, about a young girl and her mother, Laren Sims, a con-artist and master of disguises who steals the identities of other women and then turns to murder to protect her secrets.

After two girls cruelly impersonate her online in a "reverse cyber bullying" plot, Ashley's reputation is ruined and she and her mother flee a growing threat to their lives. Starting over at a new school, romantic interests and the poignant lessons from an eccentric history teacher draw them out of seclusion until they realize confronting a hurtful past is essential to ensure a brighter future.

Thrown together under incredible circumstances, two strangers must discover courage and strength when they begin a journey across the treacherous African desert! Equipped only with their wits and the expertise of a native bushman who befriends them, they are determined to triumph over impossible odds and reach their destination. But along the way, the trio face a primitive desert wilderness.

A beautifully affecting love story that has rightly earned comparisons to Brokeback Mountain, Haim Tabakman's potent yet impeccably restrained tale has won awards and accolades at film festivals the world over. Aaron, a pillar in Jerusalem's Orthodox community is respected by friends and family. However, when he hires handsome runaway student Ezri to assist with his business, sexual tensions bristle and the pair cautiously embark on a love affair. Meanwhile, a neighbouring shopkeeper persists in seeing a man of her own choosing, even though she's been promised by her father to another. As forbidden truths come to the fore, these lovers are forced to either confront or relent in the face of a centuries-old religious community, with startling results.

Jess Robin dreams of a career in popular music, but his father, Cantor Rabinovitch, forbids it, insisting Jess live as a traditional Jew and inherit his position at the synagogue. With the help of friend and professional musician Bubba, Jess gets a chance to go to Los Angeles and have famous singer Keith Lennox record one of his songs. Defying both his father and his wife, Jess leaves New York to pursue his dreams.

In a small Jewish community in a pre-Revolutionary Russian village, a poor milkman, determined to find good husbands for his five daughters, consults the traditional matchmaker – and also has words with God.

In 1979, Louis Malle traveled into the heart of Minnesota to capture the everyday lives of the men and women in a prosperous farming community. Six years later, during Ronald Reagan's second term, he returned to find drastic economic decline. Free of stereotypes about America's "heartland," GOD'S COUNTRY, commissioned for American public television, is a stunning work of emotional and political clarity.

It’s 2017 in Bisbee, Arizona, an old copper-mining town just miles from the Mexican border. The town’s close-knit community prepares to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Bisbee’s darkest hour: the infamous Bisbee Deportation of 1917, during which 1,200 striking miners were violently taken from their homes, banished to the middle of the desert, and left to die. Townspeople confront this violent, misunderstood past by staging dramatic recreations of the escalating strike. These dramatized scenes are based on subjective versions of the story and “directed,” in a sense, by residents with conflicting views of the event. Deeply personal segments torn from family history build toward a massive restaging of the deportation itself on the exact day of its 100th anniversary.

After being kidnapped and escaping, young drummer boy Aaron searches for his camel and finds him in the Nativity of the Baby Jesus. Aaron gives Baby Jesus the only gift he has, a song on his drum.

Hugh Carver is an athletic star and a freshman at Prescott College. He falls in love with Cynthia Day, a popular girl who loves to party, and finds that it's impossible to please her and still keep up with his studies and athletic training. Soon the two face some difficult decisions.

To the young people of Ellington the Supermarket was many different things. Another home, a place they'd known as long as they can remember. A one-of-a-kind place to work, build friendships and have as much fun as possible without getting caught. The heart of their town, a farming community with more cows than people and the last outpost for Rockwell's America. But this summer Ellington, the Supermarket, and the young people who cared for it the most will grow up. A modern day Capraesque tale about growing into adulthood in small town USA, 'The Supermarket' is a story of laughter, love, old rivalries, coming home for the summer, barely functional cars, small triumphs and tragic loss, late-night lawbreaking, fearing the future, food fights, standing together, and finding your place in the world.

A young boy whose parents are going through a bitter divorce, is given hope and courage through the powerful stories embellished by his grandfather. The stories give the boy the inner strength and resolve to confront the inevitable challenges which lie ahead.

Tto rebellious young women - one fleeing the chaos of secular hedonism for the disciplined comforts of faith; the other desperate to transcend her oppressive religious upbringing for sexual and spiritual freedom - cross paths unexpectedly in Jerusalem, to startling consequences.

Zharko, leader of the Romanis in NYC, passes his position of leadership on to his unwilling grandson, Dave, leading to infighting between Dave and his father.

An ex-boxer, living with the knowledge that his fight career was cut short by a crooked manager, channels his bitter disappointment in a single-minded quest for boxing championships for his three sons. We see them in pee-wee Silver Glove matches with dad constantly pushing them. Ten years later, they're young men, with dad as both father and manager. A professional promoter, Nick Everson, wants to sign the boys, but dad rejects those offers. Then, in expressions of their varied relationships with their father, each son makes his own decisions. Can dad ever step aside, and can the family hold together?

Jason and his wife, Sarah, leave their adopted home of Shanghai and travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, for his uncle's funeral, staying with his Aunt Mei. Already disoriented, Jason and Sarah are unnerved when their son, Sam, begins seeing ghosts and violent deaths. After Sam is hospitalized, Sarah consults with a pharmacist who's well-informed about Chinese mythology and who tells her that supernatural forces threaten her son.

Abby Collins's quiet life as a wife and mother shows no trace of her past work as a military special-ops expert -- until the day her husband is kidnapped. With no alternative, Abby must resort to her long-dormant lethal skills to save her spouse.

32nd generation Chinese Shaolin Fighting Monk Li Bao Xin must immigrate to New York City to look after young Janie, his six-year-old niece. Struggling to make a new life, Li Bao will face challenges that test his character more than his physical strength. Through it all, his mind remains filled with the heroic stories of the Shaolin Temple, a great tradition that defines him, but also makes his assimilation to western culture more difficult. While in China he was a venerated master, in America he is nobody. To make a life for him and Janie, Li Bao must contend with a modern society, where his great fighting skills and heroic lineage have little meaning. He will have to decide which is more important, his dreams or his family.

In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service. And up on the walls, generation after generation has pushed the limits of climbing, vying amongst each other for supremacy on Yosemite's cliffs. "Valley Uprising" is the riveting, unforgettable tale of this bold rock climbing tradition in Yosemite National Park: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity -- and the laws of the land.

Love, family expectations, and religion mix in 19th century Jerusalem. Jacob and Rebecca marry; he's a rabbi, she's dutiful and loving. But she has no children. Months become years. Although Jacob is content, his mother reminds everyone she is waiting for a grandson. After 15 years, Rebecca determines that Jacob must take an additional wife, the young and beautiful Sultana. Rebecca fasts and prays, and in a state of near ecstasy, persuades everyone involved and then arranges an elaborate wedding. However, Sultana does not conceive, and Rebecca watches helplessly as Jacob's affection shifts to Sultana. She's near madness and the household is in turmoil. What can Rebecca do now?

The pilot of an arctic community's candy air-drop is confronted by a visiting government bureaucrat who disapproves of the Christmas tradition.

After successfully escaping from Tweedy's farm in a daring and risky manner, Ginger has discovered her ideal place – an idyllic island bird sanctuary where the entire flock can live in harmony, without any risks from humans. With the arrival of Ginger and Rocky's new daughter, Molly, it appears that Ginger's fairytale ending has finally come true. However, the entire chicken population is now confronted with a menacing and new danger on the mainland. Determined to safeguard their freedom, even if it means endangering it, Ginger and her team are determined to break in.

Stephanie’s brother Gregor is about to make the biggest decision of his life. He has joined the Catholic order of the Steyler Missionaries to become a monk. If he doesn’t have a change of heart, he will take his final vows in a year’s time and commit to a life of chastity, poverty, obedience and service to the Catholic Church. Stephanie is highly critical of his choice. They come from a Catholic background, but Stephanie had her own reasons to break with the family tradition. They haven’t spoken in ten years. This film is Stephanie’s quest to understand her brother’s extreme decision and explore his world that lies behind the thick monastery walls. What she discovers may prove to be far more than she bargained for.

Badger Creek is a portrait of Native resilience as seen through a year in the life of three generations of a Blackfeet family living on the rez in Montana. The Mombergs are a loving, sober family who run a successful ranch, live a traditional worldview and are re-learning their language.

A subversive love story between clashing cultures and families, KISS ME BEFORE IT BLOWS UP is a romantic misadventure crossing all borders. When two generations of Israeli women fall for a German woman and an Palestinian man, chaos follows. What happens with lovers who don't fit but do belong together?

An accident during a bar mitzvah celebration leads to a gendered rift in a devout Orthodox community in Jerusalem, in this rousing, good-hearted tale about women speaking truth to patriarchal power.

The year is 1983 and Yaakov Cohen, the owner of a Jerusalem printing press, is tired from being pushed around. It seems that he was born on the wrong side, with the wrong family name and in a moment's decision he decides to establish a Sephardic-ultra-Orthodox list that will run to the Jerusalem municipality. He gathers two friends, and together they improvise a campaign - no means, no connections, no money, but with much rage, passion and a sense of justice.

When an American woman takes an impromptu journey to Mumbai too get away from her overbearing mother, she befriends an Indian woman striving to balance her family's culture with modern day demands. What ensues is an ethnic and generational mash-up that will leave audiences enthralled at the calamity of old-school traditions and contemporary lifestyle.

A black comedy which follows Ronen Matalon's journey to overcome his anxiety of terror attacks. Ronen uses writing and guiding a tour of terror-attack sites along Jerusalem's Jaffa Street to try and break free from his trauma.

Yair, an ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva student, opens an electronics shop in "Geula", a neighborhood that is the shopping epicenter for the entire ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem. The religious character of the neighborhood is enforced by the "Geula Committee" and Yair strictly adheres to their rules. His shop is introducing a world of advanced technology that overnight becomes a magnet for every ultra-Orthodox household, but the increasing intrusion of modernity is an affront to the committee, leading to an inevitable conflict that forces Yair into a desperate struggle for survival.

When their drug abusing mother is released from prison determined to rebuild their family, Rey kidnaps his younger brother Oliver and escapes their desert home for the California coast.

Inspired by a true story, a young widowed mother finds herself on trial for child pornography and abuse after allowing her best friend to photograph her daughters and friend.

Inspired by a true story about a young German woman prepares to leave her war-ravaged city to begin a new life in America with her G.I. fiance. But standing between her and a hopeful future is a relentless police inspector, determined to prevent her from escaping her past. He pushes her to face the truth about a child, whose secret the woman has kept all this time. Before she can leave for her new life, she will be forced to confront the past she has been trying to leave behind.

In present day Jerusalem, a city increasingly dominated by religious fanaticism, Naomi, a secular young woman seeks refuge from the pressure of her life as a concert pianist. Despite her intentions to stay alone, however, Naomi quickly makes two unexpected connections- one with a musically gifted Ultra-Orthodox young boy who lives in her building and the other, with Fabrizio, a charismatic Italian monk and organist. While these relationships allow Naomi to reconnect with her love of music and sense of meaning, they also make her a target in her new community. Faced with escalating isolation and violence, Naomi must learn to use music as a bridge to overcome towering religious barriers.

A family drama dealing with real life events. It tells the story of a typical middle class family living in the United States and the dramatic real-world issues they confront that threatens to break the family unity apart.

As boys, Dick, Joe, and Benny Mahoney wanted to be Heroes. But disaster struck and their family was never the same. Now grown up and recently paroled, Dick decides to reconnect once more with his brothers before leaving the country for good. Their parents long gone, Joe runs the family business, and takes care of the emotionally damaged Benny. They come together remembering the good times, but Dick sees his brothers drowning in their routine. Joe visits the same comic store every week, only to freeze up when the cute cashier flirts with him. Benny medicates, watching cartoons around the clock except to visit his psychiatrist where the other patients are his only friends. Knowing they want to make a difference in their community, Dick pushes his brothers to discover what it means to be the change you want to see in the world-- and become

This mythic love story set in a timeless, lavishly colorful and mystical Jerusalem incorporates hard rock, striking set design, computer-generated imagery and modern-day tensions between the secular and the Orthodox worlds. Hanan, a handsome young traveler - who has pierced ears and wears grungy flannel shirts - falls in love with Lea, the beautiful daughter of a leader in the religious community. Unbeknownst to the couple, a deal was struck, years earlier, in which they were promised to each other by their fathers. When Hanan consults with a master of Kabbala, a set of mysteriously forbidden eleventh-century texts unleashes untold powers, merging the erotic with the divine and affirming love's infinite potential to transcend all obstacles. The lovers are played by Yehezkel Lazarov (Waltz with Bashir) and Ayelet Z'urer (Angels & Demons; Vantage Point). (from sfjff.org)

Miles From Home, is a tale of lost innocence. Miles Conway, 17, is force to fend for himself after his mother walks out on him and his brother, due to her drug addiction. Abandoned also by his brother he is homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. Miles is introduced to a group of teenage prostitutes and is seduced into a world of sex, money, and drugs. They become his family. Once he is confronted by his inner demon, it's too late. Innocence is lost. Miles is torn between his two worlds after he meets Natasha Freeman, 19, a free spirited college student. Without effort, Natasha shows Miles there is still beauty in life. In order to survive, he must learn to overcome his circumstances and recognize a blessing when he sees one. There is a war within him and Miles has to make a decision. Will he choose life or death? Miles quickly learns the greatest fear we will ever have to face is to confront the person inside.

Bina (46), religious woman from Jerusalem, arrives panic-stricken at the hospital after her son Oliel (25) was severely injured in a stabbing attack. This is the first time she sees him since he became secular and lost contact with the family. Her husband, Meir (50) comes later only after their daughter Ester’s (28) insistence. At the hospital, Bina meets Amal (24). While Meir searches for answers to revive Oliel, the two despondent women bond with one another. However, Amal hides a secret from Bina and Meir. While waiting for Oliel’s revival, they will learn about truth, faith, understanding, acceptance, and love that can and maybe should replace fear of the unknown.

In the 1970s, five men struggling with being gay in their Evangelical church started a bible study to help each other leave the "homosexual lifestyle." They quickly received over 25,000 letters from people asking for help and formalized as Exodus International, the largest and most controversial conversion therapy organization in the world. But leaders struggled with a secret: their own “same-sex attractions” never went away. After years as Christian superstars in the religious right, many of these men and women have come out as LGBTQ, disavowing the very movement they helped start. Focusing on the dramatic journeys of former conversion therapy leaders, current members, and a survivor, PRAY AWAY chronicles the “ex gay" movement’s rise to power, persistent influence, and the profound harm it causes.