Transit. 2013. Philippines. Directed by Hannah Espia. With Irma Adlawan, Ping Medina, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Marc Justine Alvarez, Mercedes Cabral. In Filipino, Hebrew, English; English subtitles. 93 min.
Janet and Moises are siblings and Filipino migrant workers in Tel Aviv. Both single parents, they provide support for one another as they raise their Israeli-born and Hebrew-fluent children Yael, a teenage girl with a Jewish boyfriend, and Joshua, a bubbly four-year-old who takes an interest in the Torah. A deportation law requires Joshua, under the age of five, to be sent to the Philippines, a country he has never visited. Everyday, the family lives in fear. Keeping Joshua out of sight aside, they must also confront intergenerational conflicts and identity issues. In her award-winning directorial debut, Hannah Espia craftily constructs the story told from each individual’s perspective, augmenting the anxieties each faces and reaffirming a bond they share.