A cinematic portrait of various gay Orthodox Jews who struggle to reconcile their faith and their sexual orientation.A cinematic portrait of various gay Orthodox Jews who struggle to reconcile their faith and their sexual orientation.A cinematic portrait of various gay Orthodox Jews who struggle to reconcile their faith and their sexual orientation.
- Awards
- 8 wins & 3 nominations
Photos
Steve Greenberg
- Self
- (as Rabbi Steve Greenberg)
Nathan Lopes Cardozo
- Self
- (as Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo)
Shlomo Riskin
- Self
- (as Rabbi Shlomo Riskin)
Yaakov Meir Weil
- Self - Psychiatrist
- (as Dr. Yaakov Meir Weil)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe spelling of the last word in this movie's title comes from the Jewish tradition of treating any written representation of the name of God with respect, and not writing it on any document that might be treated carelessly or accidentally or deliberately defaced, destroyed, or erased (a longstanding Rabbinical interpretation of Deuteronomy 12:3). Since this movie, like most, had posters, sales materials, contractual paperwork, DVD covers, and other ephemera with its title on them go out into public hands, the filmmakers used the G-d spelling out of respect and recognition that there was no way to know how the documents on which the name would be treated outside of their presences.
- Quotes
Rabbie Meir Fund: ...so the Jew who is gay by choice... work like mad to overcome it... a Jew who is, as we might say, wall-to-wall gay... I will hold his hand, figuratively... and do the best I can to give him strength to serve G-d.
- ConnectionsFeatured in SexTV: Trembling Before G-d/Midori (2002)
Featured review
G__d but not Gr__t...
I am a Jew, albeit a "heathen" Jew, yet I found myself loathing all of these hyper-religious Jews, gay or not. It wasn't until the very end of the film that the director managed to bring us back to the mainstream, the essence, of Judaism with a throwaway quote from one of the film's counterpoint talking heads, a psychologist who had defected from the flock of extreme Orthodox Judaism. To paraphrase his lyrical and solid argument, he reminded us that the God of Judaism is a God of love, not control. He is the same God that engaged in conversations, in the Talmudic tradition, with Abraham and Moses and other biblical figures, in order to respond to the needs of the changing human condition. Until that point it was unclear what the director's point of view was or who her intended audience was for this film. If this portrayal of the most extreme vestige of Judaism was intended for a general audience, then, judging by my own reaction, I'd say she may have succeeded in painting all of Judaism with the same brush. It was clear that the rigid and mindless interpretations of Judaism by the extreme right were being depicted as a bad thing, but where was the Talmudic debate as to why they were wrong? I may not be a religious Jew, and I may not believe in God, but as one of the gay outcasts from the flock explained, I do believe that being born a Jew is a gift. It is Judaism's ancient teachings, that a meaningful life must be spent in pursuit of knowledge and understanding and tolerance in order to better the human condition, that make Judaism such a special tradition to be a part of.
The message that the film SHOULD have made, and failed to do, is that EVERY religion taken to its extreme, including Judaism, is nothing more than a breeding ground for people who are like robotic religious protoplasm. Ultimately, their religious fervor serves only to maintain a symbolic, xenophobic status quo that becomes a perversion of something they blindly devote their life to preserving.
The message that the film SHOULD have made, and failed to do, is that EVERY religion taken to its extreme, including Judaism, is nothing more than a breeding ground for people who are like robotic religious protoplasm. Ultimately, their religious fervor serves only to maintain a symbolic, xenophobic status quo that becomes a perversion of something they blindly devote their life to preserving.
helpful•45
- jk8n
- Oct 17, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Трепет перед Б-гом
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $788,896
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $21,410
- Oct 28, 2001
- Gross worldwide
- $788,896
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