Menashe *** ½ / *****
Directed by: Joshua Z Weinstein
Written by: Alex Lipschultz & Musa Syeed & Joshua Z Weinstein.
Starring: Menashe Lustig (Menashe), Yoel Falkowitz (Fischel), Ruben Niborski (Rieven - Menashe's son), Meyer Schwartz (The rabbi), Ariel Vaysman (Levi), Yoel Weisshaus (Eizik)
A few weeks ago, I reviewed the wonderful Netflix documentary One of Us – a film about the insular Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn – told from the point of view of three people who left. That film looked at some of the darker aspects of the community, while providing a little insight into why they act the way they do. The film Menashe, which actually came out before that film, is a dramatic movie that takes place entirely inside that community – with non-professional actors that does something similar, with less dark, and more empathy. It is about a man named Menashe (Menashe Lustig), whose wife died a year ago, and until he gets remarried, will not have custody of his son – there are strict rules about children being raised in a two parent household, so his son Rieven has to go and live with Menashe’s brother-in-law. Menashe wants his son back – but doesn’t really want to get remarried (for reasons he eventually reveals). He is also a little bit of a screw-up. His heart is in the right place – and he tries hard – but things just aren’t going well for him.
The film is shot in the neo-realist style, by first time director Joshua Z. Weinstein. There’s a little bit of the Dardennes in the film, as it rarely leaves Menashe’s side, and he is the focus of nearly every shot in the movie. He is not a bad guy – he’s friendly, people generally like him – and he truly does love his son. He just doesn’t always have the best of luck, and at times, he makes the wrong choice. He isn’t very well respected in the community – he isn’t successful – he works as a clerk in a store, and lives in a very small apartment. He doesn’t wear his hat and coat everywhere – like most do – and he looks a little like a slob. He tries to do the right things – he goes on a few dates, arranged by the matchmaker – but his heart isn’t into it. Much is made of an upcoming dinner to commemorate his wife’s death – and he insists on hosting it himself. But he doesn’t really know what he’s doing.
The film is a tremendous act of empathy with Menashe. For most viewers, the customs and traditions of this Hasidic community may well seem foreign – you can hardly believe it’s in modern America - and yet throughout the film, you really do get to know and understand Menashe. Yes, he makes mistakes – some of them dumber than others – but what he wants isn’t all that different than what we all want. You see him try with his son – and his son try back, even if at times even he wonders if he wouldn’t be better off with his Uncle, no matter how much he loves his dad.
