Kadosh

Rating:
Summary: Misogynist, anti-Jewish, and deliberately dishonest
Review: (this is actually a ZERO-star review, but ... doesn't allow that...)

It's not often I'll say about a movie that it had no redeeming qualities, but Kadosh can't even be called "blessedly short." This movie drags on, two hours of anti-Orthodox propaganda (one of the sisters is forbidden to marry an observant Jew who joined the Israeli army; a rabbi rants about conquering "them," meaning secular Israeli Jews; men go on and on about women's worthlessness without children, while the women sigh and moan and are generally downtrodden).

Another reviewer has said director Gitai "holds no punches"... but I'd prefer to think of it as outright lying. What uneducated viewers might see as a compellingly authentic portrait of ultra-Orthodox life is nothing more than a web of misconceptions, preconceptions and half-conceptions about what "that kind of life" must be like -- as seen from the outside. Its only authenticity comes from its use of the Hebrew language -- and even with my limited knowledge of Hebrew, I could tell that many of the prayers (the wedding service, for example) were inaccurate or taken out of context.

Gitai's men are stereotypes, chanting prayers at all hours of the day and night, while the two sisters stare lingeringly at the camera as if to say, "pity me -- for I am an Orthodox woman." Feminism has shown us -- at least -- that women have the power to choose their own destiny. This movie denies that premise, denies the free will of all Orthodox Jews, denies virtually every premise on which true Judaism is based.

I don't consider myself an apologist for Orthodoxy, and if you've read my other reviews, you'll know (I hope) that I have a fairly good handle on its flaws... but it hurts to hear and see such lies about any of my people. If a non-Jew had made this film, it would be condemned by all Jewish movements, leaders and spokespeople. Instead, it's been heralded at Jewish film festivals around the world as a "refreshingly honest" portrait of Judaism's secret shame.

I am amazed that so many, Jewish and otherwise, have bought into it. Don't be next.

Rating:
Summary: OK as a drama about the problem of being childlessness.
Review: A film in the category of "Yerma" by Federico Garcia-Lorca but not of its dramatic depth. Totally misleading as a peep into the world of ultru orthodox Jewish life. A film with a few nice scenes and occasional well made sequences but ultimately two-dimensional and lacking dramatic force.

Rating:
Summary: Blatantly discriminatory movie of Orthodox Judaism
Review: Amos Gitai's movie "Kadosh" is one of the most blatantly discriminatory movies of orthodox Judaism. Most non-orthodox people who do not know this world might find this world new and accept it. While there is prejudice against women in all aspects of the society, this movie concentrates only on that. It shows the life in Mea Shearim of two women, one who is married for a long time who is barren and the other who is coerced into marriage. The person chosen for her is one of the most obnoxious people I have ever seen portrayed. The way he coerces people to attend his yeshiva is ridiculous.

There are inaccuracies in the movie that are difficult to surmount. A woman cannot be coerced into marrying against her wishes according to Jewish law. Also, regardless of her transgressions, a husband can never raise a hand against her. But where there are humans, there will be such villanous people, it shows that Malka's husband is not true to the Torah. The wedding is one of the most colorless celebrations that I have ever seen. I have attended many orthodox weddings and they are joyous occasions. This was almost like a funeral. The way the people coerce Meir to reject his wife because she is barren is also outrageous, considering how much they loved each other. It portrays women as nothing more than children baring machines. According to the Torah, women have a higher level of spirituality than men. Right from the time of Moses, his sister, Miriam had a special place among Jews. Though orthodox Judaism has its illusions and fallacies, it also has great merits. Love for family, community and neighborhood are deep rooted. People are human and there will always be problems which some may not accept, but that is there in every society - harping on that alone is unfair. This shows all aspects of orthodox Judaism in negative light, a more balanced portrayal is called for. This movie is shallow and pointless.

Rating:
Summary: beautiful film, depressing and sad topic
Review: As a secular Jew I admit to not knowing any ultra-orthodox here in the USA or in Israel. But I think the plot is more about gender roles and extreme, exclusionary beliefs, than the Jewish religion per se. The bleak dreariness of the the lives of the extremists in the film seem not so different than extremists of any religion who believe that they have the only path to the ear of their god. But is the fanatic husband any different then many men of any creed one hears on talk show, reads about, or might even meet? Men who believe they are the superior gender; that women are merely objects, &/or "baby incubators"? If this were not true, why did we need a women's movement in the first place. As a woman, I can tell you that my own father (not an orthodox or a zealot) believed the Only good reason to send a woman to college was to "marry a better class of man", another mythology. Many good men never go to college. I was expected to get my MRS, not my BA & MS. (Hopefully, it is not necessary to point out: not all men are chauvinists) Whether a barren woman must be divorced or not, it is the sister's devastating passiveness and loss of hope of any life that is tragic. The younger sister leaves the horrific conditions of her life with a look of hope, and perhaps, even, a bit of a smile.

Rating:
Summary: Individuals vs. community
Review: At the beginning of this Israeli film, one of the main characters, Meir, an Orthodox Jewish scholar, thanks in his morning prayer that God has not created him a woman. We soon learn the painful personal "truth" behind this bit of humor, as Meir and his wife Rivka get lost between love and the demands of the strictly religious community they live in.

Kadosh ("sacred") depicts the sacrifice of individualism in the name of the common good, and the kind of resistance a human being feels in a world of "suffocation." Rivka and her younger sister Malka are like victims in a society where individuals have no personal space or even persona but are supposed to act and think alike. I don't think this is only about the oppression of women -- although the film does seem to emphasize that alleged part of Orthodox Judaism a lot, fairly or not -- but it applies to the men as well. Meir, the scholar, is a victim of his fellow scholars' behind-the-back gossip. Yakov is a victim of being ostracism after he became secularized. Even the religious fanatic, Youssef, is a kind of victim, too, that of a rigid system which permits no individualistic thinking or behavior. When he, on the wedding night, tells Malka that he likes the way she walks, he sounds like an embarrassed boy who doesn't know how to act in front of a girl. But, in a masterful stroke, the film then shows he clumsily but forcefully consummates the marriage, in a scene that's both funny and shocking.

The film flows in a slow pace and in an almost monotonous way, which is the impression most outsiders have of the orthodox Jewish way of life. The use of many indoor scenes further darkens one's perception of this "other world," a world so unfamiliar to most of us living in the West. There's almost a constant sense of frustration the audience might feel as the film progresses. We feel for Rivka and Malka, and we also feel their hopelessness at times. They are almost like two typical teenagers raised in a strict family: both want to rebel, but the older feels she must save the honor of the family, while the younger feels she must break free. Again, it's not just the women: when Meir tries to resist the rabbi's urging to divorce his wife, and when he gets drunk one night and breaks into Rivka's room, he's showing a rebellious side, too.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing more than a dirty anti-Semitic lie
Review: Every one who has even a little bit of familiarity with a Jewish Orthodox way of life or an Orthodox community will reject this movie as a piece of anti-Semitic garbage.

A couple that has no children must divorce? According to the Orthodox Jewish law? This is not true! There is no such thing in today's Jewish Orthodox life.

I am wondering how those people produced this movie in Israel (!) without even making a simple research on the subject. An American movie "Stranger Among us" and a European masterpiece "Left Luggage" engaged much more knowledge about ultra-Orthodox Jews than this Israeli movie! Is not it funny? What a shame!

And who cares about performance? Who cares if this movie is touching or not? The movie is lie from start to finish. Period.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: Fascinating and engaging portray of the world of the Ultra Orthodox Jewish Community. Beautifully acted and directed. A must see for anybody ineterested in the dinamics of the Israeli society as well.

Rating:
Summary: Orthodox Judaism - a rare glimpse!
Review: I confess I had some mixed feelings about this film as it depicts the world of Orthodox Judaism in a less than positive light. On the other hand, it is the director's right to present his personal views. I am NOT an Orthodox Jew myself so my ambivalence comes not from a commitment to Orthodox Judaism but a general discomfort with negative and divisive views of different branches of Judaism. Having said that, I should add that this is a well-made film, very engaging to watch. It is based on novel by Ilea Abackasis about love in a Haredi ((Orthodox) neighborhood.

Rating:
Summary: The most touching film ever
Review: I don't know how accurately this movie pictures Orthodox life but I do know that the theme of the movie is love and not tradition! I am not one that cries easily but when I saw Kaddosh I was so deeply touched that I cried through the second part of the movie without even realizing it. The characters are torn between two choices that are equally important for them in their hearts, yet either way they lose the other half of their hearts...The movie is so good I almost fear to watch it again because of the overwhelming feelings it brings onto surface in me.

Rating:
Summary: A Balanced Review
Review: I had mixed feelings about this film but I think it's important to explain that there is a difference between the Orthodox Judaism that is practiced here in America (and probably most other countries) and the Orthodox Judaism that is practiced in Israel. There, it is the most fundamental type of orthodoxy that one can find. It is not imposed that a man must divorce his wife if she cannot bear children, but the pressures are very real. In America, if an orthodox woman wasn't able to get pregnant, the family would not turn their back on the possibility that it might be the man who is sterile. In fact, most of the events we see in this film would not happen in our society. Nevertheless, the misogynist words that men say every morning in their prayers, the fact that women are considered 'unclean' and untouchable during menstruation and so on, is part of all orthodox Jewish belief. Ironically, many of the viewpoints of women in the orthodox Jewish religion are very similar to those of the beliefs in fundamentalist Islam (thankfully, orthodox Jews do not castrate women!). I think this film has valid viewpoints on fundamentalism. The film isn't anti-Semitic, it is humanistic. Orthodox women in Israel are terribly mistreated. They know that to leave their community means losing family and all that they've ever known. They are brainwashed like all people who are told not to question their religion, that they would be turning their back on God. Thus, they take their pain out on themselves instead of their community. Many people tend to look the other way when one brings up the misogyny present in Orthodox Judaism. Would they do so if the tables were turned and it was women who thanked God they were not born a man and considered their men unclean several days of the month and so on? If one race subjugated another the way women are subjugated in most fundamentalist religions, there would be a major outcry the world over, but most people tend to feel that subjugation of a woman is basically okay. In the name of 'religion', it is never questioned. No religion is bad, but any community that does not allow one to question the rules of a religion is very, very dangerous, be it Jewish, Muslim or Christian. I find it sad that people in the Jewish community can't accept any form of criticism about a branch of their religion that does exist in parts of the world. This is not a great film from an artistic viewpoint, but it is obviously an important eye opener for people who have a belief that Judaism, as well as all religions, should be balanced and humane. If you don't like what you see, criticize those people who even allow the philosophy that women are inferior beings into their religions. Those roots are there, everywhere! As long as they are not questioned, there will always be those who will use them literally.