Kadosh (Sacred) - Amos Gitai

Rules, especially those that are conceived when religion fornicates with extremism or orthodoxy, become the arrows that mutilate the heart and soul of love. Perhaps as many are killed by heart-breaks as they are by the evil of religious extremism.

Rivka and her husband Meir are childless, a curse that has caused them their happiness, conjugal fulfillment and their rightful place in a society that prizes children above all else. Rivka is alleged to be the one “at fault”, inviting the wrath of the Jewish extremist clergy, who deem her impure, and unfit to be a part of their society. Meir, a man who goes by the book of religion, is torn between the love for his wife, and the so-called duties of his religion – to renounce his relationship, and plant his seed into the womb of a fertile woman who can bring him his redemption, his ticket to heaven.

In her endeavors to rid herself of her barrenness, Rivka goes through countless cleansing rituals (of course science is not an option!) She does resort to science in the end, only to realize that it may not be her but Meir after all.

Rivka’s sister Malka, an open-minded damsel is doomed to be married to another religious buffoon – Yossef, when she is actually in love with Yakov – an outlaw who has chosen a secular way of living. Eventually, she does end up getting married to Yossef, who promises to create an army of children with his own little baby-making machine, now that he has the license and the blessings of the Rabbi.

Upon the insistence of the Rabbi, Meir is forced to annul his marriage with Rivka and take another woman as his wife. His heart, unable to switch emotional gears, does not take kindly to his decision and keeps yanking at his collar to lead him back to Rivka. He does listen finally, but it’s too late by then. Seeing all these developments, Malka also decides to break free, and unites with her lover, accepting the ostracism that she is bound to bring upon herself.

The movie is an eye-opener in ways more than one, thanks to Amos Gitai’s insight. First of all, it sheds light on extremist faction of Judaism, which is usually associated with its much maligned nemesis – Islam. The Rabbi makes the motto of all Jews clear when he sermonizes, “The only task of the daughter of Israel is to bring children into this world...a woman's only joy is raising his [man's] children. A woman's life is in him who makes use of her. A barren woman is no woman.”

Secondly, Gitai puts every character under the microscope, dexterously capturing the loneliness and guilt of innocent Rivka, the emotional upheavals within Meir, the emotional tempests churning Malka inside out, and the almost ridiculous enthusiasm of Yossef. His passionless statements – “Your hair ripples like waves in the sea” (on their wedding night) – are almost laughable considering his real intentions (That too right after Malka cuts her long flowing tresses!) Their lovemaking is farcical – as if an elephant is wrestling with an antelope. Somehow this scene was almost paradoxical – it was funny in a very disturbing way.

Yael Abecassis does an exceptional job as Rivka, the sensible head on her shoulders never betraying the storm forming within – this carefully managed deception is crucial to her performance. It is hard to deliver a performance in which much is not spoken – one must speak through inconspicuous, barely visible facial movements, helpless glances, and melancholy postures – and Yoram Hattab does it well as Meir. This movie almost drags in parts, but it does so because it has to magnify the emotions. It is about emotional anguish…It is about is loss…and it’s about realizations. All throughout the movie the two protagonists, the kind souls, helplessly meander through their lives, aware of their predicament, camouflaging their misery with the monotony of their routine lives, showing love, respect and concern for each other in subtle ways.

Gitai manages to express his own views about ultra-orthodox Jewism, which border on extreme hatred. With Kadosh, his resounding slaps on the faces of right-wing extremists reverberate through the ears of people over the world. Can you hear the echo? You will if you watch it.