Esau (film)

Esau
Directed byPavel Lungin
Screenplay byPavel Lungin
Evgeny Ruman
Based onEsau
by Meir Shalev
Produced by
  • Serafima Kokhanovskaia
  • Pavel Lungin
  • Haim Mecklberg
  • Alexander Turkot
  • Estee Yacov-Mecklberg
StarringHarvey Keitel Shira Haas
CinematographyFred Kelemen
Edited byTim Pavelko
Music byKatia Tchemberdji
Production
company
2-Team Productions
Release date
  • November 4, 2019 (2019-11-04) (HKJFF)
Running time
110 minutes
CountriesRussia
Israel
United Kingdom
LanguagesEnglish
Russian

Esau is a 2019 Russian-Israeli-British drama film directed by Pavel Lungin and starring Harvey Keitel and Shira Haas. It is based on Meir Shalev's novel of the same name.

This is Lungin's first English-language film. However, it is not the first film in which Lungin filmed and worked with Israeli actors; before it, he made the film "The Winner" and also directed the Russian adaptation Rodina of the series Prisoners of War.

The film tells the story of a 40-year-old writer who returns to his family home where he was raised, and he escaped after half a lifetime to face his brother, who stayed instead. After inheriting their family bakery and marrying the woman they both loved.

The film premiered at the 2019 Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival.