The Witch from Melchet Street is a 2007 Israeli modern-day urban fairy tale about magic and first love. It is based on a book by Israeli author Gadi Taub and is geared towards both children and adults as it tells the story of the summer that Assaf fell in love for the first time with a neighborhood girl and became close friends with the witch who lived on his street.
Summary The Witch From Melchet Street is told from the perspective of a grown up Assaf, remembering what it was like to be young and in love and the quirky friend who helped him through it. Plagued by her own broken heart, the three-hundred-year-old witch (with a youthful appearance) finds it easy to sympathize with her little neighbor friend, who's spending his summer pining over a little neighborhood girl who hardly acknowledges his existence.
Nearly two decades after the summer Assaf is still gripped by his memories. Since then, the little girl has grown up and moved away, but Assaf never left. "When you live in the house you grew up in, your childhood is always right beside you", he explains. "You buy cigarettes where you used to buy popsicles, you sit at a cafe overlooking your old school".
Now, when Assaf spots his first love wandering through his neighborhood, he can't help but follow a few steps behind her. As he watches her walk, he remembers the little girl who, long ago, showed no remorse while breaking his heart.
Awards Official Selection in Istanbul Children's Film Festival, 2007 Official Selection in Chicago Children's Film Festival, 2007
See also Other dramas set modern in Israel: Alila The Postwoman You Don't Say Time of Favor
References
External links The Jewish Channel's write-up XXVI OULU International Children's Film Festival The New Israeli for Cinema and TV write up KidsFirst.org's write-up