Wow, Seder-Masochism, this is a film I always have to mentally prepare myself for, is it sad? No! It dosen't even take itself seriously, but oh boy, do I have a lot to say. On the surface Seder-Masochism (Which I will be referring to as SM from now on) presents itself as a retelling of the book of exodus, and yes it does that, detailing Moses' journey as told from a jewish perspective. Starting with Moses being called on by God, he dances in this goofy musical fashion, until he meets the burning bush. The burning bush puts Moses to sleep, where he is presented with false goddesses, those who, in this time period, were seen as attractive, Moses ignores these false idols and continues the world of God, going to egypt, telling the Pharaoh to free his enslave kind, as you know, he rejects, and God brings down the 7 plagues onto Egypt. The rest of the this section of the film just follows Exodus, think The Ten Commandments but an animated musical, I do want to break away for a bit to talk about the animation, It is just pure beauty, never seen anything like it. Now we get to the other 2 parts of this film, 1st we have Jesus explaining passover in these very weird and trippy animated scenes using paintings and stop motion and other weird things, however the one I woah to talk about the most is the third sections of this film, the talks with Nina and her father. We see these 2 talk together about the Jewish faith, going into their family and stuff and discussing about their faith, all three of these parts add up to make an animated masterpiece. This is what I would say if it wasn't for the absolutely terrible message behind it, It's nothing to do with war in the middle east or anything (although it touches on that some in a better manner) however this film basically tells the viewer that women are nothing but baby makers and can never sustain a kingdom, which is insane considering the creator is female herself, as a girl I seriously don't know how to think about this message, but I push it aside, and although I am not jewish or agree with her claims on females, or claims on copyright, or claims on war, I still love this film.
5 Reviews
Gods and Goddesses
Rectangular_businessman29 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I must say I'm not really sure if our world would be a more peaceful, less sexist place if people worshipped a female deity instead of a male one, since many ancient cultures, despite having several important goddesses in their respective pantheons, were quite belligerent and patriarchal. (Case in point: The Ancient Greeks)
That said, I think this is a pretty solid film, both entertaining and pretty clever on its satire of Abrahamic religions, giving the book of Exodus a similar treatment Paley gave it to the Ramayana in Sita Sings the Blues, with a fun use of modern songs instead of dialogue, alternating the ancient tale with a more personal experience (In this case, a conversation the filmmaker had with her father)
For me, the most memorable, poignant moment of the whole movie was the brief live-action sequence showing a bunch of religious fanatics destroying old statues in a museum, which managed to deliver the point of the movie in a rather blunt manner.
That said, I think this is a pretty solid film, both entertaining and pretty clever on its satire of Abrahamic religions, giving the book of Exodus a similar treatment Paley gave it to the Ramayana in Sita Sings the Blues, with a fun use of modern songs instead of dialogue, alternating the ancient tale with a more personal experience (In this case, a conversation the filmmaker had with her father)
For me, the most memorable, poignant moment of the whole movie was the brief live-action sequence showing a bunch of religious fanatics destroying old statues in a museum, which managed to deliver the point of the movie in a rather blunt manner.
Brilliant
WildGardener21 April 2019
Filmmaker/animator extraordinare (and Jewish) Nina Paley has just released her newest film "Seder-Masochism"...filled with tap-dancing Moses, the ten plagues, the visage of God (speaking in the voice of her late father), and swaying, cartwheeling, singing and spiraling Goddesses. Set to popular blues, rock, soul and spirituals, this film is an emotional, searing indictment of violence including (and especially) supression of the Goddess. At times hilarious, shocking, and devastating, this film is unforgettable.
Excellently researched, wonderfully produced, every child 6 to 60 should see it :D
ivan_dmitriev2 April 2022
What an excellent production about the human condition, considering this only a fruit of work of ONE person.
This is a great commentary on tradition, rooted in profound research of the said traditions and lovingly-crafty method of production.
Comparable to the "JUNK HEAD" except the latter is about Modernity, while this is about Tradition.
10/10. More should be made, but it's something up to every culture to make a movie like that about ... themselves!
This is a great commentary on tradition, rooted in profound research of the said traditions and lovingly-crafty method of production.
Comparable to the "JUNK HEAD" except the latter is about Modernity, while this is about Tradition.
10/10. More should be made, but it's something up to every culture to make a movie like that about ... themselves!
The Prophet
Deidra23 July 2019
I have not seen Sita nor Seder-M. But I have seen The Prophet several times and think it is a very worthy, very unique, very touching animated film. So, I would disagree with Darliedraws that Nina Paley cannot produce emotion, or is a "one-trick pony." I especially recommend it for young people. It uses differing animators utilizing very different techniques & styles to illustrate the various poems of Gibran. The base storyline uses hand-drawn animation and has a plot and characters which will appeal to most everyone. It carries a positive attitude and conveys idealism while acknowledging the harsh sides of life. It also includes a unique assortment of musical styles. Well-done!
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