Everyone and everything is falling apart in Intimate Grammar (HaDikduk HaPnimi). Based on David Grossman’s novel The Book of Intimate Grammar, the film’s set in 1965 Jerusalem, a landmark time for the country as it faced conflicts with Syria and Egypt.

Like his country, 13-year-old protagonist Aharon is on the brink of significant change. He’s caught up in the drama of his parents’ dysfunctional marriage (his father is an anti-intellectual and his mother is just this side of being a verifiable shrew), a situation that reaches its breaking point when a neighbor flirts with the boorish dad. Aharon is in a personal quandary, doing everything he can to resist growing up, even though that means being stagnant while his friends move on, leaving him more and more isolated. (The fact that he hasn’t grown any in the last three years adds to his discomfort as he reaches adolescence.)

Intimate Grammar is not a lighthearted, feel-good movie, but its message of alienation and reconciliation will resonate with anyone who’s ever faced a crossroads. 7:30 p.m. Jewish Community Center, 5601 South Braeswood. For information, call 713‑551‑7255 or visit www.jcchouston.org. $8 to $10.

Wed., Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m., 2011

This article appears in Aug 11-17, 2011.