This film is part of Rentals

Next to Her
Chelli has dedicated her life to helping her learning-disabled sister, but finds their special bond tested when she embarks on a romantic relationship.
Overview
This remarkable drama from Israeli director Asaf Korman is anchored about a trio of exceptional performances. Chelli (Liron Ben-Shlush) has dedicated her life to helping her sister, Gabby (Dana Ivgy), a 24-year-old girl with severe learning disabilities. The pair live together in a dingy apartment, existing in an unhealthily symbiotic bubble where everything from toothbrushes to baths are shared.
After a social worker insists that Gabby is enrolled in a day care centre where she forges new friendships and routines, Chelli feels abandoned and embarks on a romance with a colleague, Zohar. They fall in love and he moves in, slowly helping her to find a healthy distance from her sister. However, when it becomes apparent that Zohar and Gabby have their own special bond, Chelli's possessive streak is triggered and the extent of her co-dependence is revealed. Director Korman inspires wonderful performances from his wife Liron Ben Shlush as Chelli (who also co-wrote the film based on her real-life relationship with her sister) and Dana Ivgy, a well-known personality in Israel whose position as an able actress portraying a disabled character could have left her open to criticism. Thankfully such censure would be profoundly misplaced for this sensitive, moving and naturalistic portrayal of how family ties can both bind and unravel us.
Related

Parthenope Parthenope
Drama 2024 136 mins Director: Paolo Sorrentino
An alluring young woman seeks a deeper sense of purpose after a tragedy, in Paolo Sorrentino’s deeply romantic epic.

It's Raining Men It's Raining Men
Comedy 2023 123 mins Director: Caroline Vignal
Iris (Laure Calamy) disrupts her bourgeois routine by joining a dating app and embarking on an amusing, sensual quest for identity and lost desire.

The Penguin Lessons The Penguin Lessons
Drama 2025 112 mins Director: Peter Cattaneo
Steve Coogan is superb as a disillusioned teacher whose life is turned upside-down when he rescues a penguin in turbulent 1970s Argentina.

Cloud Cloud
Drama 2024 124 mins Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
An online scam leads to deadly consequences in Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s chilling tech thriller.

La Cocina La Cocina
Drama 2024 139 mins Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios
Tensions rise in a frenzied New York diner, in this loose reworking of Arnold Wesker’s 1957 play.

Misericordia Misericordia
Drama 2024 104 mins Director: Alain Guiraudie
French provocateur Alain Guiraudie's rural homecoming story mixing passion, crime, mushrooms and bedroom farce to dizzily involving effect.

Parasite Parasite
Drama 2019 132 mins Director: Bong Joon Ho
Bong Joon Ho's Oscar®-winning box-office sensation is a darkly comic, twisty rollercoaster ride.

Mother and Son Mother and Son
Drama 2022 116 mins Director: Léonor Serraille
This beautifully tender and deeply moving new film from Léonor Serraille is a vibrant portrait of a family told from multiple perspectives.

R.M.N. R.M.N.
Drama 2022 125 mins Director: Cristian Mungiu
Beautifully crafted with his signature naturalistic style, Cristian Mungiu's exploration of xenophobia, intolerance and identity is intricate, enthralling and unpredictable.

The Taste of Things The Taste of Things
Drama 2023 135 mins Director: Trân Anh Hûng
Tran Anh Hùng directs Juliette Binoche in this delicious culinary romance that leaves no crumbs. Winner of the best director award at Cannes.

About Dry Grasses About Dry Grasses
Romance 2023 198 mins Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Turkish Palme d’Or-winner Nuri Bilge Ceylan returns with an icy portrait of a teacher whose life unravels following an accusation of inappropriate behaviour.

The Goldman Case The Goldman Case
Drama 2023 116 mins Director: Cédric Kahn
Gripping courtroom drama based on the explosive 1976 murder trial of French political activist, Pierre Goldman.

Parthenope Parthenope
Drama 2024 136 mins Director: Paolo Sorrentino
An alluring young woman seeks a deeper sense of purpose after a tragedy, in Paolo Sorrentino’s deeply romantic epic.

One to One: John & Yoko One to One: John & Yoko
Documentary 2024 101 mins Director: Kevin Macdonald
Kevin Macdonald’s essential record of the former Beatle’s final full-length performance is a fascinating portrait of two artists in a state of flux.

It's Raining Men It's Raining Men
Comedy 2023 123 mins Director: Caroline Vignal
Iris (Laure Calamy) disrupts her bourgeois routine by joining a dating app and embarking on an amusing, sensual quest for identity and lost desire.

A New Kind of Wilderness A New Kind of Wilderness
Documentary 2023 84 mins Director: Silje Evensmo Jacobsen
A tragedy shatters the idyllic world of a family living off-grid in the Norwegian wilderness.

Riefenstahl Riefenstahl
Documentary 2024 115 mins Director: Andreas Veiel
Captivating insight into the controversial filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, who became world-famous for her Nazi propaganda.

Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story Blue Road: The Edna O'Brien Story
Documentary 2025 100 mins Director: Sinéad O'Shea
A candid portrait of a literary sensation that’s as enchanting as O’Brien’s wonderful novels.