Baba Luba

Baba Luba
Directed by	Julie Shles
Written by	Julie Shles
Starring	Danny Bassan
Release date	2004
Running time	60 min.
Language	English

Baba luba is an Israeli documentary that follows musician Danny Bassan on his journey to Brasil to find his long-lost father.

Summary

Bassan left his birthplace of Brazil for Israel with his mother in 1955, when he was just a little boy, and never returned. His mother died soon after they left, and Bassan never heard from his father. As a result, his childhood was full of loneliness and he was left with almost no clues to his father’s whereabouts. Determined to track him down, Bassan returns to Brazil, forced to rely on a few old photographs and the kindness of strangers to help him in his search.

Nothing, it turns out, is as Bassan thought. Even his grandmother — who he always believed lived a pitiable life selling socks from a suitcase — turns out to have spent her 86 years on earth enjoying lavish parties and keeping herself attractively thin. The advice given to him earlier by a friend turns out to be especially apt: “I hope you’re prepared for anything,” he says.

A psychologically astute film, Baba Luba recognizes the lasting effects parents –- and their absence — have on their children. Danny is not a young man. He has an established career, a wife and children waiting at home. But when he talks about his father the hurt little boy inside of him is exposed.

See also

Other Documentaries about International Jews:

• Queen of the Mountain
• Reconstruction
• My Grandparents had a Hotel
• Forgotten Refugees
• Next Year in Argentina

External links

• The Jewish Channel's review
• New Israeli Foundation for Cinema
• Amythos Films website