Archive of films Trembling Before G-d / Trembling Before G-d
USA / Israel / United Kingdom
2000, 84 min
Section:
Another View
Year: 2001
Synopsis
This film describes with extraordinary frankness the attitudes towards the modern conception of freedom, sexuality and religious fundamentalism. The film presents the views and lives of gays and lesbians who were brought up in the orthodox Jewish community and now accept its code. How do the protagonists resolve the dilemma of their natural orientation and their devotion and love towards a traditional faith? The “avowed” homosexuals and interview subjects, who are naturally afraid to show their face in front of the camera speak openly about the situation in which the four percent Jewish minority finds itself, and about its possible resolution. In spite of the serious nature of the theme, a number of those questioned maintain their sense of humour and the ability to see the problem objectively. . . . The complexity and urgency of the film prompted debate on these issues, even in orthodox religious circles. Trembling Before G-d attracted considerable attention at the Sundance festival and the Berlin IFF.
About the director
Sandi Simcha DuBowski is a New York film director, producer and writer who completed his studies at Harvard in 1992. His feature-length documentary Trembling Before G-d, in its breadth of vision and conception, is the culmination of his activities to date. The themes which he examined during his studies and afterwards thanks to a number of grants and research programmes and which, via his films, prompted debate among specialists, in the press and on television, include homosexuality in Hollywood and independent film and the negative stance of the Christian faith towards abortion. He earned recognition from the general public with his short documentary Tomboychik which was screened, for example, at the Rotterdam IFF and won the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco IFF.
About the film
Black & white, 35 mm
Section: | Another View |
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Director: | Sandi Simcha DuBowski |
Dir. of Photography: | Nili Aslan, Sandi Simcha DuBowski, David Leitner |
Music: | John Zorn |
Editor: | Susan Korda |
Producer: | Sandi Simcha DuBowski |
Production: | Pretty Pictures |