Sonia Horowitz, l'insoumise

The cast is remarkable.

Rene Zellweger gives the performance of her life hovering between wanting to be respectful and to blossom as a business woman and mother.

She is so much smarter than her husband and wants so much more than she has that your heart aches for her. By the end of the movie the bright caterpillar is on its way to being a butterfly.

The movie accurately depicts the present condition of the Hasidic movement in New York and Brooklyn and shows its strengths and weaknesses. The jewelry business is depicted as neither black nor white, but a series of grays.

This is a great film and Rene Zellweger should be toasted for risking much and achieving more. Carol Kane was wonderful in Hester Street and Amy Irving likewise in Crossing Delancy. But Rene Zellweger soars.

I was Sonia. I lived a life in many ways similar to her's - i.e., married a 'yeshiva buchor', supported him, rebelled (emphatically!), was ostricised and found the whole thing stifling, intollerant, conformist (woe betide to those who dared to be a bit different), suppressive and above all 100% hypocritical (I don't look Jewish and if I had a penny for the number of 'orthodox' men who tried to pick me up, I could retire!). Mendel's brother's behaviour wouldn't surprise me in real life one bit.

I was absolutely amazed how authentically the characters in this film portrayed the yeshiva going community - to the point where I actually read the credits at the end to see how many of the actors were Jewish! Although Judaism is supposed' to be a lot of things (i.e., the man is 'encouraged' to see to his wife's pleasure), it is in fact quite often the opposite. As is often said, the religion is fine, it's the people who leave a lot to be desired. And that came across so clearly in this film. Sonia was ostracised for not conforming (yup, that sounds about right), her husband was so 'devout' (a tzadik) he was ashamed of his - and her - sexuality that he tried to repress it (yep, right again), the yentas (busy boddies) in the community had a lot to say (um hmmm) - absolutely everything about the movie was so spot on it was eerie - even down to the Yiddish-isms, accents and dress.

It brought back a lot of unpleasant memories...but that is only a testament to how authentic the film really was. In terms of storyline, content, acting, music - I thought it was excellent, hence the 10* rating.

An ode to unconformity, the all-time human right to be different. The heroine Sonia is a member of an apparently highly traditional Jewish society. Traditional values and ethics are an every-day practice, the 'law' everyone lives by and to which everyone abides without questioning. Hence a break from the norm is considered high treason. However Sonia finds it difficult to conform. Although a fierce battle rages inside her, she has to live with her identity and consider the people she loves before trying to free herself from rules and commitments.

I would like to comment on Renee's portrayal of the character Sonia--she was absolutely incredible! So many of her roles have been in the "cutesy" genre. This role was devoid of being "cutesy" at all. She was gutsy, believable and did a very good Brooklyn accent. I had never heard of this movie for one reason or another, and I'm glad I caught it on cable. A very, very good movie. One other comment: I am a Protestant, and I know very little about the Jewish faith. This movie peaked my curiosity for more knowledge about Hasidic followers of Judaism. I Googled and read about the beginning of the Hasidic beliefs. Once again, the cinema has enlightened me about a subject I previously had no knowledge of.

Having come from a similar background to the main character, Sonia Horowitz, I was able to empathize with her plight. Although there is much to be admired in the world of Orthodox Judaism, and Hasidism in particular, it is a community with a narrow, ethnocentric perspective with little latitude for behavior outside the philosophical norm. Many in the community who strive to exceed the acceptable boundaries find themselves isolated and ostracized for their non-conformal attitude. Sonia's journey, though not typical, had some of the elements I have personally experienced.

I must note, however, that the sexual intercourse scene between Sonia and Mendel, where they perform the act fully clothed, is not technically correct. Jewish law actually expects that the couple be completely unclothed. It places the burden upon the husband to satisfy his wife to the best of his ability. I realize to what purpose the scene was done the way it was, but it incorrectly portrayed a very private and sacred part of Jewish life.

I was deeply affected by this independent film targeted to a fairly limited audience. Renee Zellweger, a Catholic/Episcopalian Texas native, turned in a remarkable performance, and got many of the nuances right, as did many of the other performers.