An ultimately sad film, highlighting the subjugation of women within a certain Hassidic enclave in Jerusalem. While maybe less than authentic, (how many Hassidic actors are there, and how many of them would agree to portray the intimate scenes depicted here?) the message that women are second-class citizens with no
voice within their community is valid and bears investigation. The film itself is very slow, dark, and quiet. There are scenes of immense tenderness, particularly those between Meir (Yoram Hattab) and Rivka (Yael Abecassis), a husband and wife, deeply in love, but forced by their community to separate so that Meir can re-marry in an attempt to produce children. But, there are also scenes of fierce brutality and blatant ignorance dictated by an incomplete understanding of the purpose and intent of God's Laws. This is not easy to watch, and the sense of sadness that pervades never relents, but it is still fascinating.
May 12, 2010
