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It has been so long since I had seen a documentary in the
theaters that I pounced on the first one that came nearby,
which just so happened to be "Trembling Before
G-d". If you're wondering what happened to the
"O" in God, well--you see--Jewish people are
afraid to write the word God for fear of breaking the 3rd
Commandment, thus the title stays true to the faith, one
of the many peculiar, yet enjoyable aspects of this
documentary. But, let me state for the record--this
was not a fantastic documentary, only a mediocre one, but
interesting enough to keep my attention throughout.
This film deals with Hasidic homosexuals and Orthodox Jews
and how "coming out of the closet" forces them
to leave both their family and friends. It is
poignant in the way it deals with the balance between
religion and sexuality, and some of the interviews are
heartbreaking and unbelievably sad, despite the viewer's
sexual preference. I hate to say too much about this
film because I don't want to give anything away, but let's
just say some of the material is a little racy and could
possibly offend some people. But, director Sandi
Simcha DuBowski was evidentially going for that, and she
succeeded. Five years in the making, this film will
most certainly be nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar
and, though I doubt it will win, it deserves the notoriety.
In the five years it took to craft this film, the
filmmakers went to cities all over the globe, including:
Amsterdam, Brooklyn, Jerusalem, London, Los Angeles,
Miami, and the Ukraine. The perspective of people
from all over the globe adds to the power and relevance of
this film. What I found lacking was the sincerity of
some of the couples. Though there were some that
were extremely powerful, there were also some who seemed
as if they were wining for no good reason. It seemed
that some had several chances to change the outcome of
their lives but instead stuck with stubbornness and
suffered the consequences. That lack of
believability is what made the film a little less than
monumental for me. Documentaries like "Hoop
Dreams" and "Crumb" dealt with more
mainstream issues, but they were also effective in that
you believed each and every person in the documentary.
I couldn't help but feel as if the filmmakers had handed
me a sackful of truths with a few lies mixed in.
Anyway, this is a good documentary and worth checking out
because it might not get much attention if not honored at
Oscar time. It won't astound you, but it might get
you a little interested in the Jewish faith. Either
way, you'll learn something.
-- Billy
Ray (
2 1/2 out of 4 pops )
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