Ushpizin - Palm Beach Post movie review

'Ushpizin': A rare look at Hasidic life

By HAP ERSTEIN
Palm Beach Post

There are two levels to appreciating the new Israeli film Ushpizin, a lightly comic tale of an ultra-Orthodox couple whose complete faith in God has extreme consequences. The first level is its sheer entertainment value, which is considerable. In addition it is significant for being the first film ever made with the cooperation and participation of Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox community.

Picturehouse

'Ushpizin'

B+

The verdict: A lightly comic look inside Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox world, plus a couple of unwelcome guests.

Director: Gidi Dar
Starring: Shuli Rand, Michal Bat Sheva Rand, Shaul Mizrahi, Ilan Ganani
Run time: 90 minutes
Release date: Oct. 19, 2005
Language: In Hebrew with English subtitles
Rating: PG for mild thematic elements.
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On the web
Official movie site
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To create the film, popular secular director Gidi Dar collaborated with actor Shuli Rand, a veteran stage and screen actor who had grown religious and traded in performing for Talmudic studies. It was Dar's idea, however, to build a story around Hasidic life and — with the sanction of Rand's rabbi — to bring him back to filmmaking. Adding layers of authenticity to the film, it was shot on location in the holy neighborhood of Jerusalem where the community resides.

Ushpizin — the word means "holy guests" — is the story of Moshe (Rand) and Mali (his real-life wife, Michal Bat-Sheva Rand), devout but penniless souls who live with the confidence that God will provide for them. They are so poor that it looks like they will be unable to celebrate the holiday of Succot, which involves the construction of a hut and the welcoming inside of guests.

In an unlikely, but amusing good news-bad news plot, Moshe and Mali become the recipients of a charitable gift of $1,000 from a lottery. Naturally this confirms their faith and they happily obtain a hut and decorate it for the possible arrival of last-minute guests. The bad news is that guests do arrive — two former buddies of Moshe's from his non-religious life, escaped inmates from prison.

The thugs are amused by Moshe's new fervency and they take advantage of his religiously prescribed hospitality. Picture a Jewish version of We're No Angels. How Moshe, Mali and the rest of the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood rid themselves of these intruders is the crux of the movie, written by Rand with Dar's guidance. If it wraps up a bit too conveniently, it is still a diverting little fable and a fascinating glimpse at a world those outside the Orthodox circle rarely see.

Rand is a wonderfully natural screen presence and his zaftig wife complements him well. Some of the nuances of the story will probably be lost on non-Jews, but Ushpizin illustrates a world for which most of us are outsiders.