Ismach Hatani

The Israeli film Ismach Hatani was shown in the U.S. with the title The Women's Balcony (2016). The director was Emil Ben-Shimon. The movie begins with the collapse of the women's balcony in an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Jerusalem. The rabbi's wife suffers head trauma and becomes comatose. The rabbi, although physically not injured, develops what is probably PTSD.

A new, young, charismatic rabbi appears to help the congregants rebuild their synagogue. Rabbi David, portrayed by Avraham Aviv Alush, is a natural leader. That, indeed, becomes the problem. Rabbi David convinces the men of the synagogue to rebuild the structure, but without a women's balcony.

A non-Orthodox Jew in the U.S. might think that this is a good thing. Why do the women need their own space? Why not just mix with the men? The reason is that--in this context--mixing with the men is unthinkable. So the women would be segregated in a small room, still away from the men, but unable to directly observe the rabbi and the male members of the congregation.

The plot really begins at this point. Do the women get their balcony, and, if so, how do they do it?

I enjoyed this film because it was well acted, well photographed, and well directed. It also gave me a glimpse into a culture that is very different from my own. This movie is one of many outstanding films shown at the remarkable Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. We watched it at the excellent Dryden Theatre, in the George Eastman Museum. It will also work well on the small screen.

Note that this film has an anemic IMDb rating of 6.8. It's better than that, and deserves your attention.

In Jerusalem, an Orthodox congregation is in a quandary following an incident that leaves their synagogue in great need of repair: as the elderly rabbi is showing gradual signs of mental decline, a younger rabbi (Aviv Alush) helps the congregation in the mean time but his ultra-orthodox fundamentalism rubs the congregants the wrong way - especially the women.

This film has a delightful gathering of characters who show their humanity and quirkiness simultaneously although this might have been enhanced with maybe a little over-the-top characterizations and situations now and then. Among the performers, Evelin Hagoel stands out as a woman who easily refutes the younger rabbi's forced changes on her community.

"The Women's Balcony" deals well with that age-old inner conflict among the religious - whatever the religion or denomination: the apparent sense of duty and obedience vs. what people know deep in their hearts to be true. This theme works well up to a point but the film is less effective due to the young rabbi's harsh, one-dimensional approach.

He easily comes off as a villain. If the film had given a glimpse as to what drives him, the audience could have been left with the inner-debate of whether to sympathize with him despite his odious actions. Despite the film's good points, this flaw reduces the film to a mixed result.

First off, the film had impressive cinematography, and it was notable that the filming was well thought out in this respect. I felt that the filming significantly contributed to the film being enjoyable. Even a casual view would take note of the angles and the wide screen shootings.

As for the plot, the film flowed well, and the dialogue was sincere and heartfelt. The conflict portrayed within religious life is one that can be related to. The clash of modern day values and keeping the tradition comes up in various scenes.

The acting of Avraham Aviv Alush was notable, he delivered a fine performance in a versatile role.

Overall, and entertaining film, which was well thought out, authentic dialogue, and of course... a wonderful theme song.

Here in Israel we're accustomed to nostalgic comic dramas about tight-knit, down-at-heel neighborhood communities. Often the drama originates in marital conflict, with the blame on the husband; in this case, for a change, it originates in religious conflict, fundamentalist versus liberal. The film takes the liberal side but without demonizing the opposition. Marriages are affected, but the film doesn't demonize the husbands either. Everyone's marriage is fundamentally stable, a remarkable thing in the movies, and we even see a rare portrayal of grandparents who are not only still in love but still physically affectionate. The whole large cast of characters is impelled by good intentions, and they make the movie a pleasant Saroyanesque experience. At one point the action emerges from the stone alleyways of Jerusalem to show us a view of the spiffed-up Old City and we realize there is no attempt to explicitly set the plot in the past, although there are few reminders of the present day and the community seems to live as if it were sort of a Brigadoon still living the 1950s. It's a better place than our own, and well worth a visit.

As "The Women's Balcony" (2016 release from Israel; 96 min.) opens, we see a group of people gathering at an Orthodox synagogue, to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah. The women participate from the synagogue's balcony, and the unthinkable happens: the balcony crashes, causing a major injury to the Rabbi's wife and causing the Rabbi to hole up in his house. The congregation needs an interim house of prayer and Rabbi. By happenstance, Rabbi David, an ultra-Orthodox, offers his services and the congregation eagerly accepts. However, it's not long before major tensions arise between Rabbi David and the synagogue's women. At this point we're 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: there have been quite a few movies that have examined the ultra-Orthodox communities, both here in the US and in Israel. However, this movie takes a different approach and examines the tensions between an Orthodox congregation and an ultra-Orthodox rabbi. However, it is done in a respectful way, and with the necessary wink and a smile. That said, I would not categorize this movie as a "comedy" as IMDb is doing. Once the movie's premise is fully made clear, it's a fairly predictable road from there to how it all plays out, but that didn't stop me from enjoying these characters. Israeli actor Aviv Alush brings his role as Rabbi David with authority. The photography (entirely in Jerusalem) is very pleasing tot the eye.

"The Women's Balcony" opened recently at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Sunday matinée screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great. If you are in the mood for a decent foreign movie that looks at tensions between the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox, you could do worse than checking out "The Wedding Balcony", be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.