Kadosh

Rating:
Summary: The reviews should be about the movie...
Review: I read the previous comments and was surprised that all of them boiled down to discussion about Jewish orthodox way of life. The movie tells a story of two orthodox couples in Israel through the eyes of the director of the movie. I do not think and also hope that the director did not pretend to know the "whole truth nothing but the truth" and it was his attempt to depict what he views as an orthodox way of life. I am not an orthodox Jew but I saw Jews who would be like main personages of the movie, I also saw Jews orthodox Jews who would not be like that.

Any stereotyping is dangerous, multiplied by ignorance it could be deadly, so let's focus on cinematography and not on the director's vision of what ultra-orthodoxy is about. I am sure 99.9% of the movie viewers have no clue what would be a major difference between the people portrayed in the movie and other orthodox Jews living next door..

The movie is anti-religious and anti-orthodox, but is done well and actors are playing reasonably well, so I gave it 4 out of 5...

Rating:
Summary: Tonight I watch this film for the 3rd time this week.
Review: I recently saw this film at a local Jewish film festival and was roundly disabused of the notion that there is little mind bending - feature length cinema coming from Isreal today. This is one of the most gorgeously composed films I have seen for years and I am truely stunned. There is not much to tell about the plot. There are seven characters .... mostly trying to reconcile their love for their families and their love for the traditions of Chasidism as they understand them in the very insular world of Mea Shearim. Regardless of what the movie is about .... and even if you feel that Gitai is being a little heavy handed in his presentation of the Ultra-Orthodox, rarely outside of Bergman will you find narrative scenes so exquisitly developed with such a minimum of camera movement or unnecessary diaglogue. The power of a single shot developed by the actors/actresses themselves is treated as a true dramatic celebration by anyone who can either understand Hebrew or is not too terribly disconcerted by white subtitles against a predominantly white background and other careless DVD transfer oversights .... hence the loss of one star.

Rating:
Summary: Boring, Boring, & Boring
Review: I told my wife that night that I've got a newly released rare Jewish movie for us to watch together. But after 30 minutes, we both agreed at the same time to quit. Why? Because it's so phony these hotheaded religious people. One the outside, they are so crazily loyal to God or whatever it should be, but in the bedroom or in any private place, nothing is more important than fornication or intercourse. But what turned us both off is that those guys are so phony that before doing it, they still want to pray and doing some disgusting rituals prior to get laid. Give me break! This is the most disgusting and phony movie I've ever encountered. If all the Jewish people are really like this, then I would say that I am really sorry for those women in Israel, they are in no better situation than those women living in Muslem countries.

Rating:
Summary: Grossly Inaccurate- Painful to Sit Through
Review: I watched this film at the recommendation of a friend. As someone who is a part of the orthodox (or ultra-orthodox as some call it) world, I was shocked at many exagerrated negative stereotypes of orthodox Jews that were main lines in the story. I am not saying there are no troubled marriages, or narrow-minded, ignorant people in the orthodox Jewish world. Unfortunately there are, and one such family is one too many. But dysfunctional people exist everywhere. The problem with Mr. Gitai's film is that by depicting these people against an "Orthodox Jewish" backdrop he implies that the characters are dysfunctional BECAUSE of their religion, not in spite of it.
The story focuses on a woman, married for 10 years and childless, who is divorced by her scholar husband (at the behest of his Rabbi) in order to marry a woman who can produce children. The story proceeds from there. Another character includes the woman's sister who is forced into a loveless marriage with a crazy man.
The inaccuracies/misrepresentations are numerous. To name a few:
Normal Orthodox Rabbis do not encourage men with "barren" wives to divorce their wives. Rabbis do not place their hands on the heads of non-related women as is shown in one scene. Orthodox women routinely visit gynecologists and obstetricians. Many VERY orthodox women undergo fertility treatments. Women are not forced to marry abusive men, or any men, against their wishes.
Some may counter that the movie does not necessarily imply that all Orthodox Jews are like this, and I see that point. I also understand that "conflict" is what makes for a successful story. After all, no one wants to see a movie about happy people with happy lives. But at the same time, all too often, movies made about Orthodox Jews are made by people with little actual knowledge of their lifestyles. It's easy to dress up a guy in a yarmulke, show him praying and say there's an Orthodox jew. Other than the Chosen, and a Stranger Among Us, I have yet to see an accurate depiction of Orthodox Judaism in film.
As for the other aspects of the film, I have no comment.
If you do choose to see this film, I urge you to take it as "entertainment" not fact.





Rating:
Summary: Fascinating glimpse into a hidden world
Review: I'm writing this as a Roman Catholic who viewed the film as an educational piece as well as the usual reasons for seeing a movie. I'm aware that my own religion has it's own quirks when viewed by those outside the religion. The prominent one that connects with this film is that Catholic women have no avenue to power in the Church hierarchy. It is so pronounced the I recently heard Conservative broadcaster Sean Hannidy, a Catholic himself, talk about his feelings on religious topics. While he said he could consider married men into the priesthood, he wasn't one of those feminists that want abortion and women priests to be part of the religion. Putting both of these topics on equal footing in the same sentence shows that my own religion has a long way to go itself.

I'm also aware that the Jewish religion as practiced by those in the movie are in the minority. Even the Orthodox in America probably don't go to such extremes. But the fact remains that in one part of the world, this is the way people interpret that God wants it, and even if the minority, it is still accepted by some, and makes for a fascinating look at religion.

These folks, it would seem, have a prayer for everything they do. There are prayers not only for putting clothes on, but different ones for different articles of clothing. There are prayers one does on one's wedding night. And all of this is set around seemingly spending one's day studying prayer itself.

This, of course, is what the men do. It is clearly stated that a woman's job is to keep a home clean, cook meals for hubby, and engage in her only joy, which is raising children. They don't even seem to share in the celebration of the religion.

The director definitely has a burr in his side about this type of life. These are not the Jews of "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Yentl", who sing and dance a lot to cope with their misery. The Jews in this film lead what seem to be very dreary lives, and none seem happy even though they go along with it.

A wedding (and a wedding night) are portrayed with all the joy of a visit to the dentist. The groom does not even look at his bride during the ceremony, and as soon as the glass is broken, he immediately begins dancing with all his other male buddies, while the bride is led away from the "festivities".

The wedding night is one of the most painful scenes you'll see in movies. The bride laughs and cries at the same time as she cuts her own hair short. The groom has his prayers to say, of course, at the bed. Part of these seem to include a homage to his new bride. This comes across about as romantic as telling her she has an attractive mop when she cleans house. Their consummation shows that neither of them really have any idea what love and marriage are all about.

OK, it's extreme, and I've seen people scream that that's not the way it is. That's probably true for most Jews, but the fact is, it PROBABLY does exist in the minds of enough people that it became the topic of a film. And I do believe that this goes on. My own religion has their cloistered nuns, who spend their entire lives devoid of stimulation. I notice there are not cloistered priests, and of course these nuns will never, ever make a decision on how the church operates.

I thank the director for showing me this world.

Rating:
Summary: Sex, religion and politics
Review: In a beautifully constructed but ultimately depressing essay on the endless pain and suffering caused by blind allegiance to doctrine and tradition, Israeli director Amos Gitai turns a relentlessly critical eye on a stiflingly ultra-orthodox segment of the Jewish population in modern-day Jerusalem. No, Gitai holds no punches.

Two sisters, Rivka (Yael Abecassis) and Malka (Meital Barda) are trapped in this male-dominated society. Rivka has not been able to bear children for her husband Meir (Yoram Hattab) and, according to a direct quote from the Talmud itself, a barren woman is no better than a dead woman. Malka, meanwhile, can not marry the man she loves but must marry the ultra-orthodox Yossef (Uri Ran Klausner) who believes that the only role women play in today's world is that of producing more Jewish men.

In a brilliant stroke, director Gitai explores the ruinous ramifications of such a belief system by focusing almost solely on the impact it causes to the sexual lives of these two young subjugated women -- incredibly sweet and beautiful love scenes are juxtaposed with one of the most repugnant and mechanical sex scenes in recent memory, which drives home the sad point that the only purpose of marriage is to allow cold, painful intercourse which itself is necessary only for the propagation of the faction.

Rating:
Summary: Oy vey.
Review: It takes a strong stomach to watch this film, and a large grain of salt as well. I have to start with a word of caution: there is some horrifying stuff in this film, and it is all the more horrifying because it appears to be so blatantly inaccurate. Watching this film with my friend (who was raised as an Orthodox Jew), neither of us could stomach much more than the first forty minutes. I know that there are people who might watch this and suppose that it is simply discussing the darker side of life in Israel, but this film really quite simply goes over the top. If you watch it, keep in mind that it appears to anyone familiar with Orthodox Judaism to be, in the words of my friend, "complete fantasy".

Rating:
Summary: Response from an orthdox woman
Review: It's an interesting phenomenon that if someone looks at a thing and wants to find a trait in it, if they look hard enough they will find what they are looking for regardless of whether or not that trait is there. Kadosh is an example of this.

Much of what is in this movie is completely made up, and the rest is taken completely out of context. It was made by a secular Jew, not someone familiar with the subject (or if he is at all familiar, he is very biased), and is about as representative of Orthodox society as the human characters in the movie Chicken Run are representative of humans.

I might add that I was born Jewish but that I became Orthodox by my own choice, and that I have never felt discriminated against as an orthodox woman.

If I were to show you a movie and tell you that it is a political propaganda film, you would take it with a grain of salt. If I were to show you a movie and tell you that it is a racially biased propaganda film, you would take it with a grain of salt. But people accept the movie Kadosh as fact, when it is really one of the saddest types of slander around - it is a Jewish director targeting other Jews. For some people this might add credence to his message. I don't find that it does so. I could make a film about my very helpful neighbor. We have a lot in common - we are women and we live on the same street. But if I chose I could make a movie portraying her as a real pain in the neck... and people would accept this just because they think the opinion of someone who has met her is objective. It isn't. The director may be Jewish, but he has a completely different background from the people he thinks he is portraying. He has probably been fed the same biased opinions regarding orthodox Jews as you have, by watching his movie. These are strong words, but I consider this movie pre-digested slander. Be discriminatory in your decision to believe it.

Rating:
Summary: A Distortion of Facts
Review: Kadosh was an international sensation for the simple reason that it's subject matter is controversial, with some exotic titillation thrown in for some added measure.

As a secular Jew who lived for a while among ultra orthodox Jews, I can assure you that nothing in this film even remotely resembles the Charedi way of life. The ultra orthodox have a well-developed network of outreach and referral services for barren couples. A conversation with any fertility expert will confirm this. I never heard of a single case in which a loving Charedi couple had to divorce by rabbinic decree for any medical reason. The passage in Talmud dealing with barrenness was written in the context of what was socially acceptable at that time, some 1500 years ago.

I was also amazed at how little the Israeli director of Kadosh, Amos Gitai, knows about the intricacies of daily Charedi life. It borders on complete ignorance. To find a much better appreciation of the ultra-orthodox worldview, read some of the books by these renowned secular writers, who grew up in an orthodox community, such as I.B. Singer or Chaim Grade.

Rating:
Summary: controversial part of Gitai's trilogy
Review: Selected to compete at Cannes in May 1999 (52nd Cannes). This film is based on the French Jewish novel by Ilea Abackasis about love in a Haredi (fervently Orthodox Jewish) community in Mea Shearim (the 100 gates religious neighborhood in Jerusalem). Stars Yael Abuskasis, Yoram Hatav, Metal Barda, Ori Klausner, Sami Houri, Lea Kenig, and Rivka Michaeli. The film is a blatant outright protest against Israel's religious community and its treatment of women. the director is honest about his contempt for the community and expresses himself through this film. KADOSH (which means Holy in Hebrew) is the third part of Gitaï's trilogy about life in three Israeli cities. Devarim (1995) was set in Tel Aviv, Yom Yom (1998) in Haifa and now Kadosh is situated in Mea Shearim. The residents of this nieghjborhood attempt to protect and insulate themselves against modern profane influences. The rabbis and religious leaders exercise strong social control. Rivka and Malka are two sisters who are suffocating in this climate. Rivka has been married to Meir for ten years, but they still have no children. Meir is put under pressure to divorce Rivka and marry another woman to safeguard his biological succession. Malka is in love with a man who has been banished from the community, so the relationship is doomed in the eyes of the rabbi. The rabbi decides that Malka has to marry his assistant Yossef. Both Rivka and Malka give in to the religious and social pressures, but in a very different way. The detailed film attempts to paint the community as extremist, repressed, and patriarchal.