Acclaimed Israeli arthouse director Amos Gitai based the drama Alila (2003) on a popular novel about the highs and lows of life in contemporary Tel Aviv. Instead of following just one or two characters, Gitai captures the hustle and bustle of a working-class apartment building in the busy Israeli city. His characters include a Holocaust survivor (Yosef Carmon), a Filipino housekeeper (Lyn Hsiao Zamir), and a couple who can’t keep their hands off each other (Amos Lavi and Yaël Abecassis). If the latter figures are the most compelling, it’s only because Israeli seductress Abecassis is a knockout each and every time she goes in front of the camera. Gitai realizes this, because he kindly stretches out the electrifying sex scenes between Abecassis and her lucky stud.