Sharon Engelhart Reflects on Her Debut Film 'Because You Are Ugly' and Its Journey to Screen

Sharon Engelhart's debut film "Because You Are Ugly" offers a rare, raw portrayal of adolescence and life in Jerusalem through the story of Abigail, a young woman on the brink of an officers' course who struggles with a fractured family, passion, anger, and identity. In an interview on the podcast "Cinema Q&A" hosted by Avi Lodmir, Engelhart discusses her long journey from early writing and theater studies to filmmaking and the film's development process.

Engelhart initially pursued theater but was expelled for disruptive behavior and then switched to cinema studies at Sam Spiegel Film School, where writing became her refuge. The character Abigail emerged while Engelhart worked on another set, driven by her desire to depict a more intense, angry adolescence than typically shown in Israeli cinema. The script was developed with support from the Israeli Film Fund and the Cannes Festival residency, where Engelhart refined it over five months.

Casting was crucial, with hundreds auditioning before selecting Riki Reif and Uri Avinoam, whose performances were vital to the film's success. Engelhart noted that Reif's natural gentleness initially made her doubt the portrayal of Abigail's anger, while Avinoam brought a rare mix of innocence and strength. Veteran actors Yael Abecassis and Yossi Marshak also contributed significantly, with Abecassis providing maternal support on set and Marshak becoming a father figure off-camera.

After nearly seven years of development, filming took only 17 days, a period Engelhart describes as intense and focused. Post-production occurred in Montreal over three months, but Engelhart admits she still finds it hard to fully let go of the film. Concurrently with the film's release, she is working on her second feature, "I Hate You in My Heart," about a young woman trying to save her mother and herself amid a collapsing Israeli reality, developed during a Berlin residency.

Engelhart's journey reflects a deep commitment to storytelling, starting from a blank page and evolving through persistence and creative growth.