THE WOMENS BALCONY (Emil Ben-Shimon). 96 minutes. Subtitled. Opens Friday (July 14). See listings. Rating: NNNN
When the womens balcony in an Orthodox synagogue collapses, leaving the rabbis wife in a coma and the rabbi in shock, the congregation goes into crisis. They can barely get together a minion of 10 people to pray and, either way, have nowhere to worship.
Rabbi David (charismatic Aviv Alush) appears to be a saviour after the accident, encouraging his own congregation to help out, but he slowly starts pushing his fundamentalism and tries to take control in ways that make his new congregants uneasy.
Womens friendships get severely tested one woman suddenly goes ultra-orthodox, much to the consternation of her best friend and an almost Lysistrata-type rift occurs between the communitys women and men.
This strong debut from Ben-Shimon has huge heart, evident in the way he portrays the couples, especially Zion and Ettie, played by Igal Naor and Evelin Hagoel, who exude love so authentically that you feel invested in their connection. And the film has a warm humour thats infectious.
But the most moving element emerges from the films essential respect for ancient ritual, even as it questions extreme orthodoxies. Its a tough tightrope to walk, and does it skilfully.
And, at various celebrations bar mizvahs, etc. the food is gorgeous. It even has its own key plot point.
