The Journey of the Human Resources Manager

Actually, the human resources manager (Mark Ivanir) of the largest bakery in Jerusalem goes about his job with extreme care. He puts so much time and attention into his work that it has broken up his marriage, and he is nothing but a disappointment to his daughter. The worst part is that he doesn't actually like his job. When a former foreign employee is killed in a suicide bombing, the HR manager is given a difficult task. On behalf of the bakery, he is to transport the woman's coffin to her Eastern European homeland. Because although she hasn't worked for the company for weeks, she was still listed as an employee. And of course it's incredibly important for the bakery's image that the woman's death doesn't make negative headlines. Together with a pushy reporter, for whom the word freeloader seems to have been invented, the stubborn son of the killed woman and other quirky companions, the personnel manager embarks on an unusual journey through a foreign country, on which he must also find himself.

With The Journey of the Personnel Manager, director Eran Riklis remains true to the path he took in films like Lemon Tree. His latest work, which mixes drama and comic elements, is once again about boundary crossings that take place both physically and in the minds of its protagonists. The assignment to transport the dead employee to her home is at first a compulsion that the personnel manager reluctantly and completely emotionlessly follows. But in the course of the journey he finds his place in life in a dreary landscape, surrounded by a motley crew of companions and in the constant company of death.

It may be that the message of the film is not quite as subtly staged as Riklis managed with Lemon Tree. So then also The Journey of the Personnel Manager runs the risk of drifting into triviality in some moments. That this doesn't really happen is due to the good actors and the engaging visual language of the film, which is able to console over some weaknesses in the script. The successful moments of almost absurd comedy also help to ensure that the story isn't too crushed by the gravity of its initial situation. Both drama and comedy are staged with a sensitive hand in a pleasantly restrained manner, which prevents the film from becoming overly unwieldy arthouse fare.

Surely, outside of arthouse cinemas, Eran Rikli's latest work is unlikely to find its audience. But if you're interested in emotionally told dramas full of humor and humanity, you can confidently join the human resources manager's journey

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp