Review of Praying With Lior (2008) by Paul N — 04 Mar 2012

A lot more laughs than you might expect, this was a pleasant little movie about a special young man. If you are interested in Judaism, special needs people and their families, or human interest films in general, you might want to check this one out.

Lior is looking forward to his upcoming bar mitzvah. He is surrounded by loving friends and family who do a very sincere job of talking about how much they love and respect Lior. Yet throughout, we get the impression that things aren't as neat and tidy in terms of Lior's relationships as his friends and family want to make them seem. Friends are honest on the playground in a more genuine way than their individual interview excerpts. Younger sister Anna seems to have some difficulties with Lior. Dad has high expectations. Step-mom is struggling to fit in without eclipsing the memory of the kids' deceased mother.

There are other issues lurking below the surface that the movie seems more keen to gloss over than deal with. Older brother's faith seems lacking, to say the least - something that would be worth exploring more in a family so overt in their observance of their faith. Lior is constantly praying yet this is really much less the focus of the movie than the title might lead you to believe. More focus on this would have been interesting - are there particular prayers he prefers? Does he have a reason for that (other than that his deceased mother sang some of them to him)?

More focus could have made this a more powerful film, but it was enjoyable enough as is.