The Testament

Yoel Halberstam is an Israeli Holocaust researcher, a former 'haredi' (super-religious) Jew who has left the yehiva but still maintains an Orthodox lifestyle. He is the divorced father of a 12-year-old boy studying for his Bar-Mitzvah. Living a very frugal life, he is trying to uncover the details of a massacre that occurred in 1945 in Lensdorf, Austria, in which 200 Jews were massacred, and which has been covered up by everyone involved.

Lensdorf is a fictional village, based on Rechnitz, Austria, which did conduct a massacre, whose details are even more horrible than the one in the film.

Halberstam is fighting an Austrian attempt to literally cover up the killing ground. In the course of his investigations, he uncovers information that could badly affect him, his family, and his lifestyle. Will he push on?

Quiet and low-key, The Testament is riveting and very believable. The star, Ori Pfeffer, is on camera in nearly every scene, and you can't take your eyes off him. He has perfectly mastered the body language and facial expressions of the 'hardal' (nearly haredi) male.

The most chilling line is given by one of the survivors: "The war is still going on". When you see The Testament, you'll understand why.

One of the best movies to be made in Israel last year. Great script, acting, photography and soundtrack. A film you will think about long after you have seen it. Should have been Israel's submission to the Oscar Awards under the "Best Foreign Film" category.

This is a good film about Jewish identity and the Holocaust but it needed more context in the script so that the plot would be better understood. The names and events were not defined clearly enough for viewers to follow along and understand the plot. Showing charts and film clips are just not enough to make it all come together in a coherent manner. Would have been superb if this level of detail was dealt with, and some of the irrelevant scenes eliminated. There is just not enough background provided to make the film totally understandable.

Memorable and captivating cinematography. And I will add that the acting was perfect. Believable characters were rendered alive and sympathetic by performers who were sometimes subtle and sometimes intensely engaging . I know how exhausting it is to research my family genealogy and uncover the truth about family members murdered in the Holocaust. Many - including my parents - hid the truth, or refused to speak of it to their children, or were simply unable to endure the emotional pain of recalling the horrors of Nazi Germany and Eastern European pogroms. This film - focusing on just one massacre - encapsulated the frustrations of research, the poverty of memory, and the intense desire (or need) to uncover the truth. I was fortunate to see the film via my library's subscription to HOOPLA. I also recommend readers to read the other user comments for background on the events giving rise to this film. The payoff at the end was very satisfying.

I had the honor and pleasure to watch the premiere at the Haifa Film Festival (First prize in the best film competition), a quality movie experience. The film deals with a complex and sensitive subject in a fascinating plot, Uri Pfeffer in an excellent and moving game. Go and watch it, you will not regret