This movie about the bitterness of self-imposed exile begins with a brutal beating as its protagonist, Moshe (Moshe Ivgy), is punished by some New York heavies for a bad business deal. He returns to his modest apartment only to learn that his ex-wife — whom he hasn’t seen in over 20 years — has died back in Israel, leaving behind Tzach (Ran Danker), the son he abandoned. Tzach, a sniper in the Israeli army, unravels in the wake of his mother’s death. His dream for a military career ends in tragedy and he heads to New York to confront his deadbeat dad.

Meanwhile, the down-on-his-luck Moshe begins reading his poems at a jazz bar that caters to New York’s Israeli population and becomes an improbable local celebrity. Part Bukowski, part Lenny Bruce, his straight-shooting doggerel helps him rebuild his confidence and his life. After a rather forced subplot borrowed from Harold and Maude (with Harold recast as a horny middle-aged man), Moshe woos bartender and single-mom Yolanda (the excellent Karen Young, recognizable from turns in The Sopranos and the Law & Order franchise). His speedy evolution from self-absorbed asshole to reformed family man strains believability, but Ivgy and Young deliver authentic chemistry that saves the story. It’s heavy-handed in its portrayal of a divided Israel eating away at is own ideals — especially so when father and son climactically face off — but as a tale of redemption, Restless mostly works.