The Holy Land

Last night I saw The Holy Land. It is one of those indy films, that play in places like the Angelika here in New York. It was a rather interesting movie, though it is hard to say what I came out with.

(Spoiler follows)

The movie is about Mendy, a yeshiva student from Bnei Berak, a Russian prostitute, a American barowner, and some other characters. Basically the story goes as follows: The yeshiva boy is given some odd advice - visit a prostitute to get rid of some of those nasty sexual urges, and come back to yeshiva all relaxed and ready to resume the very sexually repressed world of the yeshiva. (Nathan Englander's short story that names the book "For the relief of unbearbale urges" should come to mind here".) But it didn't quite work that way. He goes, gets a hand job, and falls in love with the prostitute. Later on that night he meets Mike, from Mike's place (a place where anyone in Yeshiva in Israel in the last 10 years has spent time). Eventually he drops out of yeshva, works in the bar and moves in with the hooker (in a very sexually-frustrating way). Now, the movie gets worse. There is a subplot about a mysterious package that Mike and the Arab have throughout the movie which makes for a really disturbing end, as well as a pointless subplot about a crazy settler. Execpt for naive Mendy, no one is who they appear.

The movie is actually pretty good at the end. All the scenes were pretty authentic. Everything is filmed in Israel, and looks about as real as it is. All the characters seeme authentic. If they don't, it simply means that you are not vary familiar with Israelis in Jerusalem.

There is nothing feel-good about this movie. It is a love story, but there is no happy ending. It is not about a typical experience in Israel, but rather one that goes about as bad as it can. If you know Jerusalem, then there will be a lot here that looks familiar. (I recognized a band-member who shall remain nameless, but I remember from when I was there.)

There is a sort of Calablancaesque quality to the film - but without the charm. Even in Israel I assumed that "Mike's Place" really resembled "Rick's Place" a bit too much. There was a whole medly of people (like that bar on Star Wars whose name escapes me at the moment). It is owned by a good hearted ex-pat who takes in all sorts of strays without much concern for his own fiscal or physical well-being, while still looking really cool. There is a twisted love interest. There are all sorts of shady characters in this strange foreign setting. . . But here there is a very bothersome twist, and all is not well at the end.

See the movie if it is in your neighborhood (but don't feel too bad if you miss it).