Film Review: Menashe

'For me, cinema is about opening worlds and understanding them', said in one interview the film director of Menashe, Joshua Z. Weinstein, a movie that gathered appreciations at big world film festivals, from Berlin to Sundance.. Without being Hasidic himself, Weinstein touched upon in this movie an issue not enough discussed: how it is to be a single dad in a Jewish Orthodox community.

Menashe is a widower, with a 8-year old son, fighting to make it from a day to another,while working as a cashier in a kosher supermarket. A good simple soul that does not want to fully conform in a community where the decisions are taken by others and where is a high pressure to obey to rules, from the way you dress to the way you pray and the number of children you have at home.

Considered unable to take care of his son, he had to surrender custody to his wealthier in-laws, until he is finding a new wife. His dates - arranged by the matchmaker - are a nightmare and it reminds him of his own marriage that was far from being happy. Menashe was married by his father at 22 (relatively late according to the religious communities), with a woman with whom he did not share too many happy moments. In communities where the social pressure is so big, happiness is not a choice: a man should provide continously to a permanently expanding family. As the duty of the woman is to have as many children as G-d allows, the duty of the man is to be successful both in this professional endeavours and in Torah learning.

The movie, spoken in Yiddish, is easy to watch, focused on Menashe's story - played by Menashe Lustig that apparently went through a similar experience. More than the play of the actors - not impressive in my opinion, the story is what captivates, with a warm empathic touch. Indeed, the situation of single/widowed/divorced women in the strictly religious communities is often portrayed, but what is going on with a man in a similar situation is less known. 

Indeed, Joshua Z. Weinstein succeeded to open and create understanding for untold, hidden stories.