ReelBob: ‘Menashe’ ★★½

By Bob Bloom

“Menashe” is a curious film, not so much because it reveals an insular world most people are not familiar with — the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn’s Borough Park section of New York — but because it’s difficult to ascertain the point director Joshua Z. Weinstein is trying to get across.

The story, co-written by Weinstein, Alex Lipschultz and Musa Syeed, focuses on Menashe, a widower who works as a clerk in a grocery store.

Since the death of his wife, their son, Rieven, has been living with the family of Menashe’s brother-in-law.

The strict laws of the society — based on the Torah and the Talmud — forbid Rieven from living with his father until Menashe remarries, so the boy can have a two-parent home.

Menashe, however, is resistant. He has no desire to take another wife. (We later learn that his father had pressured him to marry his wife, Leah, and that the match was not a good one, as they spent a lot of time arguing.)

He cannot accept that he and his son must be separated, maintaining that a wife is not really necessary to create a loving environment for a child.

Menashe, though, is his own worst enemy. He is constantly late for work, he owes his brother-in-law money and is behind in his rent.

He drinks a bit too much and is not as observant as the majority of those in the community. (He simply wears a yarmulke and prayer shawl, disdaining the long coat and hat worn by most men.)

Still, despite his melancholy and guilt over the death of his wife, he is a good man and a loving father.

The film is more an almost-documentary like series of slice-of-life vignettes.

The main conflict arises when Menashe insists on hosting the memorial dinner for his late wife in his small apartment, rather than the sumptuous home of his well-to-do brother-in-law.

Menashe Lustig, who plays the title character, is a lumbering bear of a man. He is devout, and singularly devoted to his son.

Weinstein’s camera is like a fly on the wall, recording what is happening without being judgmental. He neither condones nor condemns the strictures under which the Hasidic community lives.

And that may be the movie’s main drawback. We can admire Menashe for his determination, as well as pity him for his shortcomings.

But Weinstein presents the man in such an objective manner that it makes it difficult to really get to know Menashe.

It’s telling that the one scene where we really see the emotional baggage he carries, is when he confides in a couple of Hispanic coworkers about his past.

“Menashe” could have used a bit more fire and spirit. It’s commendable that Weinstein does not overly dramatize the prime conflict, but that also dilutes the film’s poignancy.

Nothing seems to be resolved by the fade-out, except a hint that Menashe seems willing to sacrifice his individuality for his son.

“Menashe” is an interesting examination of a little-known culture within the United States and of the mores that govern the lives of those in this society.

I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.

MENASHE
2½ stars out of 4
(PG), mature themes