Movie Review: ‘Menashe’ finds faith and fatherhood sometimes at odds

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Ken Jaworowski
Movie poster
My heart broke a little near the end of “Menashe,” a sweet comedy that’s not without a bit of sadness. For sure, this funny and tender film prompts cheerful smiles, but sometimes they turn melancholy. Joshua Z. Weinstein, the director, shot the film in Yiddish and often in secret in Hasidic neighborhoods. His images are unaffected and candid, with wordless close-ups that speak for themselves. Mr. Weinstein made documentaries before this, his first fiction feature, and it shows. The film is worth praising for what it is and admiring for what it’s not — there’s no sappiness or false emotion, and none of the clichéd, quirky misfits who populate so many commercial comedies. [More]
From left, Menashe Lustig and Ruben Niborski in “Menashe.” Credit Federica Valabrega/Mongrel Media, A2