Nir Bergman and Mindi Ehrlich Discuss Their Tallinn-Playing Queer Drama ‘Pink Lady,’ Set in Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Circles
Annika Pham “This film is important, but the most important [thing] for us right now is to bring the hostages back home and for the Israel-Middle East conflict to stop as fast as possible,” says Nir Bergman, one of Israel’s most esteemed filmmakers, in a conversation with Variety about his Tallinn competition entry “Pink Lady.” Bergman, whose credits include the multi-awarded pics “Broken Wings,” Cannes selected “Here We Are” as well as the original Israeli series “BeTipul,” later turned into HBO’s “In Treatment,” has peaceful messages of tolerance and acceptance in many of his works.
His latest drama, “Pink Lady,” running in the official selection of Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival, tackles the topic of hidden sexual desires and homosexuality in an ultra-Orthodox community in Jerusalem.
The story turns on Bati, a young woman seemingly happy with her husband, Lazer, and their three children. However, cracks in their relationship start to appear when Lazer is blackmailed, and Bati soon discovers his secret gay affair with a male study partner. “To protect her family and keep the man she loves, she supports Lazer as he attempts to ‘cure’ his homosexuality whilst uncovering her true desires,” the logline reads.
Bergman was able to sneak into Jerusalem’s closed ultra-Orthodox environment with the help of debut screenwriter Mindi Ehrlich, winner of Netflix’s 2022 Israeli TV Series Development Award for her project “Insignificant.” A member of the Hasidic community in Jerusalem, Ehrlich drew from her own experience to write the script.
