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Editorial Reviews
WINNER: BEST FILM OF 2007 (TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL)
A heartbreakingly tender (New York Times) new entry into Israel s ongoing filmmaking renaissance, My Father My Lord is an anguished, mordant sigh of a fable (New York Sun) set in the ultra-orthodox Israeli community in which writer-director Volach was raised. This astonishing debut feature (Variety) is a beautifully made film (Newsday) portraying childhood at its most transcendent and fundamentalism at its most intimately corrosive. We do everything in the Torah without asking why, Rabbi Eidelman (Assi Dayan), a pious, respected elder in a cloistered Hasidic enclave tells his wonderstruck only son Menahem (Ilan Grif). But at an age where life prompts questions increasingly outside the confines of doctrine, Menahem unwittingly runs afoul of his father s inflexibility. Mindful of her marriage vows but accepting of her son s boyish curiosity, Rabbi Eidelman s wife Esther (Sharon Hacohen Bar) is caught in the middle. A holiday at the seashore meant to reconnect the family brings the ideological rift between pre-teen boy and middle-aged man to a biblically and dramatically tragic climax. Lifting equally from the secular religiosity of Krzysztof Kieslowski s The Decalogue and the aesthetics of Jewish ritual itself (Village Voice), and profoundly compassionate toward its characters (NY Times), My Father My Lord shines with a radiance and grave grace. (Entertainment Weekly)
A heartbreakingly tender (New York Times) new entry into Israel s ongoing filmmaking renaissance, My Father My Lord is an anguished, mordant sigh of a fable (New York Sun) set in the ultra-orthodox Israeli community in which writer-director Volach was raised. This astonishing debut feature (Variety) is a beautifully made film (Newsday) portraying childhood at its most transcendent and fundamentalism at its most intimately corrosive. We do everything in the Torah without asking why, Rabbi Eidelman (Assi Dayan), a pious, respected elder in a cloistered Hasidic enclave tells his wonderstruck only son Menahem (Ilan Grif). But at an age where life prompts questions increasingly outside the confines of doctrine, Menahem unwittingly runs afoul of his father s inflexibility. Mindful of her marriage vows but accepting of her son s boyish curiosity, Rabbi Eidelman s wife Esther (Sharon Hacohen Bar) is caught in the middle. A holiday at the seashore meant to reconnect the family brings the ideological rift between pre-teen boy and middle-aged man to a biblically and dramatically tragic climax. Lifting equally from the secular religiosity of Krzysztof Kieslowski s The Decalogue and the aesthetics of Jewish ritual itself (Village Voice), and profoundly compassionate toward its characters (NY Times), My Father My Lord shines with a radiance and grave grace. (Entertainment Weekly)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A small work of art that will resonate long after the end of the film
November 22, 2008
Format:DVD
This Israeli import has a big theme - the price that is paid by following rigid religious beliefs. The acting in this heartbreaking drama was absolutely impeccable as we meet an Orthodox rabbi, his wife and their young son of about eight. There is love in this small family and they do not question their religious practices or beliefs. And then a tragedy occurs, and their lives are turned upside down. There were tears in my eyes as I watched this film. It felt absolutely real with the story moving quickly and the proper amount of time spent to establish their characters and their motives. I was captured from the very beginning and consider this film a small work of art.
I saw this film at the Tribecca Film festival and had the privilege of hearing the director talk about his work. All the people involved in the production were Israeli, of course, but they were not necessarily Orthodox. All the details included in the film made the story very real. And the ending raised the kind of open-ended moral question that resonated with me long after I left the theater.
I am glad the this film is finally getting wide distribution. But even if it hadn't made it, this filmmaker clearly has a gift for making films and his future looks bright. Because the film is so sad, I cannot recommend it for everyone. But I sure am glad it is now being sold on Amazon.
Highly recommended.
I saw this film at the Tribecca Film festival and had the privilege of hearing the director talk about his work. All the people involved in the production were Israeli, of course, but they were not necessarily Orthodox. All the details included in the film made the story very real. And the ending raised the kind of open-ended moral question that resonated with me long after I left the theater.
I am glad the this film is finally getting wide distribution. But even if it hadn't made it, this filmmaker clearly has a gift for making films and his future looks bright. Because the film is so sad, I cannot recommend it for everyone. But I sure am glad it is now being sold on Amazon.
Highly recommended.
13 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Hunter Gavin
Format:DVD
This movie was recommended to me as one that is highly critical of Orthodox Judaism. One thing is for sure, the criticism is very subtle, and this might be the lamest softball attack on the ultra-orthodox world that I have seen or read.
The interaction of the three main characters (Rabbi, wife, and son) is absolutely beautiful, incredible. This movie to me is an advertisement for having a religious family. If David Volach told me this was his secret motive of the film, I would believe him.
A 9-10 year old kid is not equipped to deal with the deeper philosophical questions in life. No responsible father whether he was Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, or Muslim would rock the boat and open up a venue for religious debate with his young, fragile, impressionable young boy. Suicide bombing is not a problem in the Jewish world, so parents can usually count on having these deeper, philosophical discussions about the meaning of life with their children after the ages of 17-18.
The scene where the son is put in a position to possibly drown is a very, very hard sell. It is very hard to believe that a rabbi is going to leave his son unattended in such a way. Even if this was a true story, it is disingenuous to project the actions of one errant father on the entire ultra-orthodox community.
It is also hard to believe that it would take 5 minutes for a kid to put on his sandle, whereby the father would lose patience and go pray on his own. Thus leaving an opening for the young boy to hop in the Dead Sea completely by himself and drown (a sea that everyone floats on).
The director clearly has an axe to grind with the Jewish People, specifically the ultra-orthodox world.
I think anyone who finds this movie to be a strong attack on the ultra-orthodoxy should reexamine their prejudices, cultural understanding and historical knowledge of the Jewish People.
If someone is going to criticize religion, at least do so with real ammunition (e.g. Richard Dawkins, Karen Armstrong, or Christopher Hitchens). Dawkins specifically fires live ammunition with his rabid Atheism. Volach's attempt amounted to throwing wiffle softballs at best.
Lastly, it is offensive that anyone would think a dog, a cat, or any other animal is equivalent to a human being. I am an animal lover, but they clearly are not living with the same level of intelligence, self-control, and Divine purpose as human beings.
I personally know very little about the Jewish faith, but it seems peculiar that Volach did not elaborate on the well-known fact that Judaism believes animals do in fact have souls, a nefesh. Humans have an animal soul (nefesh) and a human soul (neshama). This was a major omission, but did not fit into Volach's agenda.
I give this movie three stars for its accurate portrayal of the beauty and sanctity of Jewish religious life.
The interaction of the three main characters (Rabbi, wife, and son) is absolutely beautiful, incredible. This movie to me is an advertisement for having a religious family. If David Volach told me this was his secret motive of the film, I would believe him.
A 9-10 year old kid is not equipped to deal with the deeper philosophical questions in life. No responsible father whether he was Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, or Muslim would rock the boat and open up a venue for religious debate with his young, fragile, impressionable young boy. Suicide bombing is not a problem in the Jewish world, so parents can usually count on having these deeper, philosophical discussions about the meaning of life with their children after the ages of 17-18.
The scene where the son is put in a position to possibly drown is a very, very hard sell. It is very hard to believe that a rabbi is going to leave his son unattended in such a way. Even if this was a true story, it is disingenuous to project the actions of one errant father on the entire ultra-orthodox community.
It is also hard to believe that it would take 5 minutes for a kid to put on his sandle, whereby the father would lose patience and go pray on his own. Thus leaving an opening for the young boy to hop in the Dead Sea completely by himself and drown (a sea that everyone floats on).
The director clearly has an axe to grind with the Jewish People, specifically the ultra-orthodox world.
I think anyone who finds this movie to be a strong attack on the ultra-orthodoxy should reexamine their prejudices, cultural understanding and historical knowledge of the Jewish People.
If someone is going to criticize religion, at least do so with real ammunition (e.g. Richard Dawkins, Karen Armstrong, or Christopher Hitchens). Dawkins specifically fires live ammunition with his rabid Atheism. Volach's attempt amounted to throwing wiffle softballs at best.
Lastly, it is offensive that anyone would think a dog, a cat, or any other animal is equivalent to a human being. I am an animal lover, but they clearly are not living with the same level of intelligence, self-control, and Divine purpose as human beings.
I personally know very little about the Jewish faith, but it seems peculiar that Volach did not elaborate on the well-known fact that Judaism believes animals do in fact have souls, a nefesh. Humans have an animal soul (nefesh) and a human soul (neshama). This was a major omission, but did not fit into Volach's agenda.
I give this movie three stars for its accurate portrayal of the beauty and sanctity of Jewish religious life.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have been on a roll of great and/or interesting Israeli movies (more on that later), and I picked this up, really not knowing much about the movie, other that it came highly recommended.
"My Father, My Lord" (75 min, originally released in 2007) is a slow-moving movie that portrays an ultra-Orthodox family in their daily doings. The dad is a highly-respected rabbi, the mom a complying wife. They have a young son (I'm guessing 8 yrs old or so), and much of the movie centers around how the young son experiences life growing up in an ultra-Orthodox setting. The movie builds up to a long-anticipated (by the young son) trip to the beach at the Dead Sea. And then the unthinkable happens. I wish the movie would've explored more of the aftermath, as the movie concludes too quickly for my liking.
I visited Israel this past November on a business trip, so my exposure to the Orthodox community was/has been minimal. This movie provides a great glampse into that community. I have to say that I wondered at times if the lead characters were actually actors, or real-life Orthodox persons, that's how real it felt. Despite its shortcomings (included the too-short running time), I'd recommend this movie in a heartbeat. If you are looking for other great Israeli movies in recent years, let me just mention Lemon Tree, Or My Treasure, Free Zone, Tehilim, For My Father, Seven Minutes in Heaven, and of course last Fall's theatrical release Lebanon.
"My Father, My Lord" (75 min, originally released in 2007) is a slow-moving movie that portrays an ultra-Orthodox family in their daily doings. The dad is a highly-respected rabbi, the mom a complying wife. They have a young son (I'm guessing 8 yrs old or so), and much of the movie centers around how the young son experiences life growing up in an ultra-Orthodox setting. The movie builds up to a long-anticipated (by the young son) trip to the beach at the Dead Sea. And then the unthinkable happens. I wish the movie would've explored more of the aftermath, as the movie concludes too quickly for my liking.
I visited Israel this past November on a business trip, so my exposure to the Orthodox community was/has been minimal. This movie provides a great glampse into that community. I have to say that I wondered at times if the lead characters were actually actors, or real-life Orthodox persons, that's how real it felt. Despite its shortcomings (included the too-short running time), I'd recommend this movie in a heartbeat. If you are looking for other great Israeli movies in recent years, let me just mention Lemon Tree, Or My Treasure, Free Zone, Tehilim, For My Father, Seven Minutes in Heaven, and of course last Fall's theatrical release Lebanon.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's about hashkafa.
Let's get the nuts and bolts out of the way first: Great film; stellar acting by all of the principals along with outstanding direction and cinematography; slow but engaging... Read more
Published 4 months ago by katzarv'matok
5.0 out of 5 stars
A profoundly dramatic tale
Benjamin Franklin wrote that to be overzealous in religion is to be non-religious. The rabbi in this film should have listened to Franklin. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Israel Drazin
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Special Work
As the most of movies on a Jewish, especially, Jewish-Orthodox topic, this DVD is heavy overpriced-but for some special reason in this case. Read more
Published on February 11, 2011 by Michael Kerjman
5.0 out of 5 stars
a master peace
One of the best israelian movie for ten years. The director knows absolutely what he is talking about and is very talented fine and subtile to make it visible on screen. Read more
Published on January 10, 2011 by marie
5.0 out of 5 stars
In the letter or in the spirit
A film made with great simplicity and coherence.The orthodox rabbi who leads his Haredi Hassidic community,giving sermons of God's absolute love for humans,who are Jewish and... Read more
Published on January 2, 2011 by technoguy
1.0 out of 5 stars
No view of the palace
There is a Jewish religious story that posits Wisdom (understanding of God's purpose) as a palace within a garden. Read more
Published on December 5, 2010 by Boaz D. Heilman
5.0 out of 5 stars
PURCHASE OF SOUNDTRACK
I would like to know from whom or where can the entire soundtrack from "MY FATHER MY LORD" be purchased. ? Read more
Published on June 11, 2010 by Ernest Petty Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Touching, Sad
I finished watching this film a few minutes ago. It was a touching look into the life of three main characters whose lives were ruled and ultimately destroyed by a dogmatic... Read more
Published on March 21, 2010 by Michael M
2.0 out of 5 stars
Depressing.
I wouldn't watch this unless you have a specific interest in this type of film or are somewhat masochistic. Hard film.
Published on June 1, 2009 by R. McDaniel
