Rating: 
Summary: Vitriol with a Hateful Agenda
Review: Totally fictional portrayal of Haredi Jews as cold, violent male chauvinists. The many obvious mistakes in the prayers and rituals give away the fact that probably nobody involved in the production of the film ever had any direct contact with Haredim. The result is a crude caricature based entirely on the negative and ignorant stereotypes secualar Israeli society has about Orthodox Jews. Watching this film feels like sitting through an anti-semitic rant.
Rating: 
Summary: Good insights at a snail's pace...
Review: You know you're in for a slow-paced movie when director Amos Gitai trains his camera in the first scene on lead character Meir and we spend no less than 10 minutes watching him get dressed in the morning.But still, this movie is worth seeing, especially for the penetrating look at Ultra-Orthodox Judiasm. We get a peek inside the deteriorating relationship of two couples (well, in one case, the couple never really 'teriorated' in the first place), anchored by a pair of sisters. I'm sure we're seeing extreme cases, but if Gitai is trying to make a point of unmasking the inherent male chauvinism of this corner of the faith, then he's accomplished it successfully. The sisters - obviously bright, thoughtful individuals - are treated merely as baby-carrying vessels here. Though Meir sees through the unfairness of this all, even he is powerless to stop his elders' dictates.
| 
