“Hold no man responsible for what he says in his grief.”
So says the Talmud, the ancient rabbinic writings on Jewish law.
It is this quotation that seems to float unheard past the ensemble of A24’s latest gem, Menashe. The film, which was a Rooftop Films and Brigade 2016 Festival Publicity grantee, and premiered at Sundance to great acclaim, follows the titular character, a young widower and father as he struggles to raise his son within the orthodoxy of Borough Park’s Hasidic community.
Crafted with a fragile warmth, Menashe delivers a simple story with hushed tension and melancholy—how can Menashe prove himself to be worthy of raising his son, a year after losing his wife, rather than his arguably more stable brother-in-law? He is constantly scrutinized by his family, his co-workers, and the other members of his community. That is not to say that their criticism is always unwarranted—but it comes across as quite unfeeling. While they see a bumbling lost soul, we get a better glimpse into the heart of a gentle giant.
The character is based loosely on the life of the film’s leading man, Menashe Lustig—which is perhaps why the performance feels so truly lived in. The film is absolutely authentic all around. Nearly all the dialogue in the film is Yiddish with English subtitles. While it does have its well-crafted sentimental bits, Menashe never feels like a fiction. The film’s director, Joshua Z Weinstein, has worked primarily as a cinematographer on a myriad of documentaries. Therefore Menashe is at once a wholehearted narrative of a father-son relationship and an intimate observational film on Brooklyn’s Hasidic community.
Like the faith it portrays, Menashe is more focused on asking questions than providing concrete answers. How does someone find happiness? Must the image of family be a perfect one? Menashe asks these questions with steadiness and heartfelt clarity, and lets them reverberate to quietly astonishing results.
Menashe will be screened on July 22nd at New Design High School, followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Joshua Z Weinstein and star Menashe Lustig. More information can be found here. The film is set to release on July 28th.