Review of Menashe (2017) by Sofie N — 24 Aug 2017
Menashe is a fascinating movie that immerses the viewer in the secretive Hasidic community in Brooklyn. Menashe Schwartz, played by his real-life counterpart Menashe Lustig, is a widower and a father. He has a son, Rieven, who is around 12/13.
He loves his son dearly but due to the fact that he doesn't have a wife and he is a "schlimazel," the rabbi and his brother-in-law both feel like Rieven cannot live with him. The rabbi is not unsympathetic to Menashe's desperation but he can see, and so can Rieven, that Menashe just isn't able to provide his son with a stable, comfortable home.
The actor Menashe Lustig said in real life that he is not a schlimazel, but his character most certainly is. Poor, clumsy, and always making mistakes, the well-meaning Menashe can barely take care of himself.
But the rabbi has agreed to let Rieven live with him until his wife's memorial service. If Menashe can prove he can provide a stable, proper living environment for his son, he can keep him. I was amazed with how great the actors were.
I wasn't expecting much from a community with very limited theatre. All of these actors are actually Hasidim, not actors pretending to be. But schlimazel Menashe, his confused son, the sympathetic rabbi, his cantankerous boss, and his frustrated brother-in-law all bring the characters to life.
The script, music, and directing help us immerse ourselves in this hidden world of the Brooklyn Hasidim.
This review of Menashe (2017) was written by Sofie N on 24 Aug 2017.
Menashe has generally received positive reviews.
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