(JTA) - Shira Haas, the Israeli actress who vaulted into superstardom with her roles in the TV series "Shtisel" and "Unorthodox," has a track record of playing multifaceted characters. Nonetheless, she faced unprecedented challenges when making the new film "Asia," which dominated last year's Ophir Awards (the Israeli equivalent to the Oscars), was in the Central Florida Jewish Film Festival last November, and is seeing a U.S. release this week.

In the starkly photographed, minimalist film, Haas plays Vika, a tough yet sensitive kid struggling from a degenerative neurological disease. She live...