| KADOSH U.S.A.
Premiere Israel/France, 1999. Amos Gitai, Director. The first Israeli film to be featured in the Cannes Film Festival in a quarter-century, Kadosh (Holy) is a thoughtful, beautifully-photographed film about the situation of women in the ultra-orthodox community. Shot on location in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, it centers on Meir and Rivkah who have been married for ten years, love each other passionately, but have no children. This is a source of worry for their ultra-Orthodox rabbi and for them since they live every moment of their lives as a sanctification of God’s name. In a subplot, Rivkah’s sister, Malka, is in love with Yaakov who has chosen to leave the community. The rabbi makes his decision: Meir must repudiate Rivkah and marry another woman to ensure his lineage, and Malka must marry Yossef, the rabbi’s faithful helper. Gitai, one of Israel’s most creative and serious filmmakers, captures the organic quality of Meir’s piousness but Kadosh is controversial because of the questions it raises about true vs. false piety. CAREFREE THEATRE |