The Quarrel is a 90-minute dialogue between two Jewish men who cannot decide if they are dear friends or bitter enemies. When I heard it described thus, I felt little attraction to this film.
But the plot so beautifully weaves together the threads of friendship lost and found, of camaraderie, hurt, loss, and theological disagreements that the end comes all too soon. Both men are the sole Holocaust survivors of their respective families, and their mutual consolation and joy is in constant tension with the diametrically opposite conclusions to which they arrived based on their common suffering. This, then, is their quarrel, and it picks up threads that have been running throughout thier lives.
The two lead actors carry the passion and emotion with admirable intensity. The script they have to work with is an adaption of a short story by Chaim Grade. While the short story seems primarily focused on the religious differences between the men, the script weaves in many other threads, which are present but in the background of Grade's tale. The result is a powerful emotional roller-coaster ride that brings out the religious argument all the more clearly for the extra details. But while Grade seems to favour the position of Chaim Kovler (Thomson), the film is more ambivalent in its own conclusions.
The setting of their discussion is in a beautiful park in Montreal, and they battle crowds, the forests, and the elements as they battle one another in their wits. In this way, the natural environment almost becomes a significant secondary character, lending a quality of earthiness to the film, much in keeping with the character of the Hebrew scriptures around which much of their debate centres.
While most of the debated issues remain open by the film's end, a moving dance scene brings much-needed healing to these hurt and lonely people, and assures them and the viewers that one small step of redemption and restoration has been taken. A highly recommended film.
