Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish

Perhaps the smartest aspect of this film as that it subverts the expectations of modern re-tellings of Shakespeare, in that to whatever extent it takes on the source material it's almost as an afterthought. Instead writer/director Annenberg takes the culture clash and grafts it onto the Orthodox Hasidim in Brooklyn, but even then it's with a whimsical and irreverent tone. The structure is ambitious and even within the confines of a micro-budget a lot of winning material is mined. The effort is emboldened by a very strong, quirky and effective cast which combined with Ms. Annenberg's gleeful subversions transcend the limited production.

I wasn't quite sure how much of Eve Annenberg's new feature Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish I would find enjoyable given I do not know Yiddish. However, this film pleasantly surprised me with its universal themes and its unique portrayal of young Orthodox men as "thuggish," yet refreshingly humorous. The film centers on a woman in graduate school (Ava) who must translate Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet from English to Yiddish, and employs a few young Orthodox men to assist her in performing this seemingly impossible task. With Ava's descriptions of the play, the young men's imaginations, and a little fairy dust, Annenberg brings us to a parallel universe where the timeless characters of Shakespeare's play are replaced with Hasidic Jews. With witty dialogue, a bizarre, yet gratifying, plot, and an unlikely cast, Annenberg brings this feature to life despite her narrow budget.

Given that this film is in Yiddish, Annenberg was forced to cast actors with little to no experience. Despite this wide range of talent, Annenberg accomplishes making the acting ensemble deliver stellar performances, given her background in acting and directing. It's truly a feat that she was able to take 25 year olds who had never picked up a Shakespeare play, and transform them into believable and fluid actors who are naturally witty with their delivery. I'm sure what Annenberg has highlighted on screen with these actors is beyond their wildest expectations, and it makes you wonder what this woman could do if she was given an opportunity to work with real actors.

This film is handsomely crafted in terms of rich musical choices from A Cappella liturgical Jewish wailing in a minor key to tracks that are reminiscent of Pop Ballads (similar sounds to the All-American Rejects). The score is also fantastic, composed by Joel Diamond, and the contributions by Pharoah's daughter and Lior (top of the charts of Avant Garde Jewish music based in Acient melodies) bring this low budget film to a thing of beauty.

With the acting, the score, and the unique story, complex issues of difference are cleverly reduced to emotionally honest dialogue and visuals. With this, Annenberg guides the viewer through the transformation of Orthodox Jews from dorky to desirable.

This Wizard of Oz meets The Princess Bride feature is a must see no matter your background!

We loved it!! Saw it with 2 friends at the Monday night 7:15 showing, it was really so much fun to see friends in a film together, I really enjoyed seeing so many people I know work together to create this amazing artwork. And OH MY are you a great actor Eve!!!! WOW!!! It was very fun to watch you!! Definitely think you should pursue more of that! Also, the film was very entertaining and kept my interest the whole time. loved the surreal magic aspects of it, reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez,.. Magical Surrealism with a traditional theme, created in a new way demonstrating a unique perspective of Jewish religious cultures, really loved it...want to see it again.

There is an argument I've heard about this film that there are too many side plots, but I found that not to be the case. I actually really appreciated the kabbalistic aspect of the plot (such as the concept of "two worlds", it's fun to speculate what happened to the other two worlds, my take is that that is reflected in the directors vision and the audiences experience of the story)

The film treats most of its characters like people. The emotions are intense and believable, and the music is great. I am familiar with the world that these characters inhabit so I appreciated the film on that level, I don't know what it would look like to someone who is not Jewish, I want to compare the overall experience to John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus, but I don't know why..

I saw this film at a screening at Harvard University in Cambridge and I thought it was amazing. The plot of the film we all know Romeo and Juliet but this film was totally different.

I am not Jewish and now very little Yiddish yet I adored this film immensely.

I think you everyone of all cultures/religion will be entertained by this film.

I also loved that this film was set in modern day New York with up and coming actors.

I hope to see more films from Eve Annenberg!

Bill Raye-Boston MA