Renee Zelleger stars in this film that explores the lives of the Hasidic Jews in a modern world. I have mixed feelings about this film, of which I will explain, without getting into the actual plot or the ramifications or consequences of her actions and therefore avoid getting into a philosophical discussion. I might could have, if I had just seen it last night, but this is two weeks cold. But, then again, the movie's approach doesn't really merit much discussion to begin with.
The two best things about it are Renee's earnest effort into portraying a girl, blossoming into a woman, whose world is dictated by her faith, when her heart and/or her mind goes against it; she is quite believable. Also, the film's director makes good use of time and place, and you actually feel you're there with her in her world.
On the other hand, as the movie progresses, it begins to resemble a CBS TV drama, with its low-key budget and generic feel to it to please everyone, feeling like a cross between the TV-remake of Grisham's "The Client" (1995) with JoBeth Williams and John Heard, and the Ellen Burstyn and Paul Sorvino TV show "That's Life" (2000-2002.) Particularly the latter. Maybe a touch of "Judging Amy", too. The plot extremes and her desire to be her own person feels like, this week on "The Horowitzes" (the family name.) It addresses the issues by glancing over them, in an artificial episodic way, and then they feel they are being faithful to the subject matter by writing about it all.
Lastly, I will note that I appreciated the journal the rabbi kept of all his sins; if you've seen the movie, you know what I mean. It's about the only real thing I took from the whole movie. I know it sounds like I bashed it; but, while I did like certain things about it, on the whole, I don't feel it accomplished what they set out to do.
The two best things about it are Renee's earnest effort into portraying a girl, blossoming into a woman, whose world is dictated by her faith, when her heart and/or her mind goes against it; she is quite believable. Also, the film's director makes good use of time and place, and you actually feel you're there with her in her world.
On the other hand, as the movie progresses, it begins to resemble a CBS TV drama, with its low-key budget and generic feel to it to please everyone, feeling like a cross between the TV-remake of Grisham's "The Client" (1995) with JoBeth Williams and John Heard, and the Ellen Burstyn and Paul Sorvino TV show "That's Life" (2000-2002.) Particularly the latter. Maybe a touch of "Judging Amy", too. The plot extremes and her desire to be her own person feels like, this week on "The Horowitzes" (the family name.) It addresses the issues by glancing over them, in an artificial episodic way, and then they feel they are being faithful to the subject matter by writing about it all.
Lastly, I will note that I appreciated the journal the rabbi kept of all his sins; if you've seen the movie, you know what I mean. It's about the only real thing I took from the whole movie. I know it sounds like I bashed it; but, while I did like certain things about it, on the whole, I don't feel it accomplished what they set out to do.