Trembling Before G-d | |
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Directed by | Sandi Simcha DuBowski |
Produced by | Sandi Simcha DuBowski, Marc Smolowitz |
Cinematography | David W. Leitner |
Edited by | Susan Korda |
Music by | John Zorn |
Distributed by | New Yorker Films |
Release date | 2001 |
Running time | 84 mins (USA) |
Countries | Israel, France, USA |
Languages | English, Yiddish, Hebrew |
Trembling Before G-d is a 2001 documentary film about gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. It was directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski, who wanted to compare Orthodox attitudes to homosexuality with his own upbringing as a gay Conservative Jew. The film won several awards, including Best Documentary Film at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival, the 2001 Chicago International Film Festival, and the 2003 GLAAD Media Awards.
Trembling Before G-d is filmed in the style of cinéma vérité.[1] This style of filmmaking aims for extreme naturalism using non-intrusive filming techniques, genuine locations instead of sound stages, and little post-production mixing or voiceovers.[2] The film is mostly in English, but also has some subtitled Yiddish and Hebrew.
The film follows the lives of several gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews and includes interviews with rabbis and psychotherapists about Orthodox attitudes towards homosexuality. During the film's six-year production, DuBowski met hundreds of homosexual Jews but only a handful agreed to be filmed out of fear of being ostracized from their communities.[3] Many people who agreed to be interviewed are shown only in silhouette or with their faces pixelized.[4]
Trembling Before G-d was successful at the box office, grossing over $5,500 on a single screen on its first day of release and $788,896 on eight screens by its close date on January 5, 2003.[5] The film received ten award nominations, winning seven. Reception by the Orthodox communities was mixed. Several Orthodox synagogues sponsored showings of the film;[6] however, no Haredi Orthodox groups spoke out in favor of the film. Traditionally, Orthodox Judaism has prohibited homosexual conduct, as it was believed people became homosexual in order to spite God, to be perverse, or because of a mental illness. In the last couple of decades, positions on homosexuality have became more sympathetic.[1] However, Haredi Judaism, the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism, still views homosexuality as a perversion. As a result of the positive responses received from homosexual Orthodox Jews, however, the creators of the film have set up several organizations to teach Orthodox educators and rabbis about homosexuality.[7]
Background
While a variety of views regarding homosexuality exist within the Orthodox Jewish community, Orthodox Judaism generally prohibits homosexual conduct. While there is disagreement about which acts come under core prohibitions, all of Orthodox Judaism puts certain core homosexual acts, including male-male anal sex in the category of yehareg ve'al ya'avor, "die rather than transgress", the small category of Biblically prohibited acts (also including murder, idolatry, adultery, and incest) which an Orthodox Jew is obligated under Jewish laws on self-sacrifice to die rather than commit.[8]
Until recently, followers of Modern Orthodox Judaism believed homosexuals chose to engage in homosexual actions in order to spite God, to be perverse, or because of a mental illness. Familiarity with sociological and biological studies, as well as personal contact with Jewish homosexuals, has brought some Orthodox leaders to a more sympathetic viewpoint. In the 1974 yearbook of the Encyclopedia Judaica, Rabbi Norman Lamm, a leader in Modern Orthodox Judaism invoked the principle of Jewish law termed ones, denoting an "accident" or event beyond one's control.[9] In this way, Lamm argued, homosexuality could be redefined as an act performed under psychological duress, and it would be wrong to persecute or judge homosexuals for their actions.
Many within the Jewish community continue to view homosexuality as a perversion. When an Orthodox Rabbi, Steven Greenberg, publicly announced that he was homosexual, there was a significant response from rabbis of all denominations reported in Jewish newspapers. Rabbi Moshe Tendler, a leading rabbi at the Modern Orthodox Yeshiva University, stated "It is very sad that an individual who attended our yeshiva sunk to the depths of what we consider a depraved society" claiming that Rabbi Greenberg's announcement is "the exact same as if he said, 'I'm an Orthodox Rabbi and I eat ham sandwiches on Yom Kippur.' What you are is a Reform Rabbi."[10]
Production
Sandi Simcha DuBowski was making videos about the Christian religious right when he began to examine his own upbringing as a conservative gay Jew, and began making a personal video diary of his search for homosexuality among the Orthodox Jewish community.[11] On the making of the film, DuBowski said, "I don't think it was until I met people who were kicked out of their families and their Yeshivas, in marriages betraying their spouses, that it became clear why I was doing this film. But then, for me it assumed an enormous level of responsibility to the people I met, to the issue, to the community."[7] He met thousands of people, but only a few agreed to appear in the film, as most were too frightened of being expelled from their community.[7] Even when interviewing those who did agree to appear, DuBowski had to hide his film equipment so their neighbors would not know that they had agreed to take part.[3] As a result, the documentary took six years to complete.[3]
There is no narration and the film may be considered to be an example of cinéma vérité. The film is also interspersed with silhouetted tableaus of Jewish religious practices, for example Shabbat.[11] The language is predominantly English, with passages in Yiddish and Hebrew that are subtitled. Also subtitled are passages with significant amounts of "Yeshivish", Yiddish-influenced technical terms in Judaism; for example, posek is translated as "judge on Jewish law", and daven is translated as "pray".
The title is an allusion to the word Haredi (Hebrew: חֲרֵדִי), which can be interpreted as "one who trembles" in awe of God.[12] The last word of the title is a common Jewish way of writing the word God. By omitting the middle letter, the word is not written in full, thus eliminating the possibility of accidentally destroying the written name of God, which would violate one of the 613 Mitzvot of Judaism (number 8 on Maimonides' list).[13]
Synopsis
Trembling Before G-d interviews and follows several gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews, many only as silhouettes, as well as interviewing several rabbis and psychologists about views on homosexuality in Orthodox Judaism. The film repeatedly returns to several characters:
David is an observant Orthodox Jewish doctor from LA who has spent a decade trying to reconcile his homosexuality with Judaism. He has been through every form of "treatment" to cure him, from eating figs and praying to wearing an elastic band on his wrist to flick whenever he thinks of men, but to no avail.[4] During the course of the film, David decides to visit the Chabad rabbi to whom he first came out.[14]
Israel is a 58-year-old New Yorker who decided he couldn't be gay and Orthodox, and turned his back on his religion, though not before his family forced him into electroshock therapy to try to cure him. Now a tour guide around the Haredi neighborhoods of New York, the film follows him as he gives a tour, psychoanalyses himself and decides, on the 25th anniversary of being with his life partner, to call his 98 year old father, a rabbi, whom he has not seen in over twenty years.[15]
Michelle is another New Yorker, in her forties, who believed she was the only Hasidic lesbian in the world and as a consequence allowed herself to be pressured into marriage. However, she got divorced and was subsequently ostracized by her family and community when they discovered she was homosexual. The film shows her visiting her old neighborhood and an Orthodox fair.[16]
Rabbi Steven Greenberg is the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, and discusses parents' reactions to their children coming out, as well as traditional interpretations of the prohibitions on homosexual acts in the Torah. Rabbi Greenberg also founded Open House, a gay rights organization in Israel which provides support to gay Orthodox Jews and their families. Shlomo Ashkenazy is a gay psychotherapist who has run a confidential support group for Orthodox gay men for nearly 20 years.[15] He is interviewed about the effects of Orthodox attitudes to homosexuality and the reactions of rabbis to gay Jews.[17]
Mark is the English son of an ultra-Orthodox rabbi. Coming out at 15, he was expelled from seven yeshivas for homosexual activity before becoming a drag queen, and is now dying of AIDS-related illness. He visits several yeshivas and other religious sites throughout the film.[18] He remains upbeat, at one point saying, "Being a Jew is such a nice present to receive."
"Malka" and "Leah" are two observant Orthodox lesbians who have been together for ten years, which has destroyed Malka's relationship with her family. They speak frankly about their lives in the film and discuss their fears that they may not end up in heaven together. They are shown preparing for Shabbat, and Leah gives advice to a married Hasidic lesbian who is terrified her husband will find out and take away her children.[15]
"Devorah" is a married Hasidic lesbian living in Israel. She only appears as a silhouette with a electronically modified voice. She considered her twenty year long marriage a lie and can only cope by taking anti-depressants.[19] The film follows her as she attends her first gay pride parade, where she is offended by the anti-Orthodox sentiment of its speakers.
Reception
Critical
Trembling Before G-d was put out on general release on October 21, 2001 in New York, where it broke Film Forum's opening day box office records, grossing more than $5,500 on the first day of release.[20] According to Boxofficemojo.com, it grossed $788,896 at the box office during its release.[5] It was very warmly received by critics, with one describing it "With its testimony of anguish and joy, Trembling is a tribute to the human spirit, if not to the institutions that seek to define it."[21] The average film critic rating on Rottentomatoes.com, a popular film rating website, is 90%, an extraordinarily high rating: Trembling is rated 28th on the Top Movies:Best of Rotten Tomatoes 2001 rankings.[22]
Religious
Trembling Before G-d has had a wide impact especially within the Orthodox Jewish world, where the reception has been both negative and positive. Several Orthodox synagogues sponsored showings of the film all over the world, including in Israel.[23][6] However, the Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Warren Goldstein, described the film as "intellectually shallow," commenting that "its one-sided caricature of Orthodox Judaism does not stimulate meaningful intellectual debate."[24] A rabbi interviewed by DuBowski complained that the film "makes us appear to be narrow and bigoted".[25]
No Haredi Orthodox group spoke out in favor of Trembling Before G-d. The spokesperson for Agudath Israel of America, one of the largest Haredi organizations, Rabbi Avi Shafran, attacked the film with an article titled "Dissembling Before G-d". In his response, he holds that gay people can be cured through therapy, and that the movie is meant to promote homosexuality:
Unfortunately, though, "Trembling" seems to have other intents as well. While it never baldly advocates the case for broader societal acceptance of homosexuality or for the abandonment of elements of the Jewish religious tradition, those causes are subtly evident in the stark, simplistic picture the film presents of sincere, conflicted and victimized men and women confronted by a largely stern and stubborn cadre of rabbis. That picture is both incomplete and distorted. For starters, the film refuses to even allow for the possibility that men and women with homosexual predilections might - with great effort, to be sure - achieve successful and happy marriages to members of the opposite sex.[26]
However, DuBowski maintains that there is no agenda to Trembling Before G-d "beyond alleviating an immense amount of pain that people are going through", and that Judaism is lovingly portrayed. Indeed, the love of Judaism in the film is so emphasized that several audience members asked afterwards how they could convert.[27] Trembling Before G-d has also had an impact upon other religious besides Jews: dialogues, screenings and discussions have also been held by Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, and Muslims.[27]
Awards
Year | Group | Award[6][28] | Result |
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2001 | Washington Jewish Film Festival | Audience Award - Special Mention | Won |
Sundance Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Nominated | |
Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival | Audience Award - Favourite Documentary | Won | |
L.A. Outfest | Grand Jury Award - Outstanding Documentary Feature | Won | |
Chicago International Film Festival | Gold Plaque | Won | |
Berlin International Film Festival | Don Quixote Award - Special Mention | Won | |
Teddy - Best Film | |||
2002 | Glitter Awards | Best Documentary voted by the U.S. Gay Press | Won |
Independent Spirit Awards | Truer Than Fiction Award | Nominated | |
2003 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Documentary | Won |
2004 | Satellite Awards | Best Documentary DVD | Nominated |
Legacy
The DVD was released in 2003 and contains many extra features, such as extensive interviews with DuBowski and Rabbi Steven Greenberg. There is also a mini-documentary about reactions to the film around the world and what happened to the people who were featured in the documentary.[29] The total running time for the special features is actually over 2 hours longer than the documentary itself.[19]
With a seed grant from Steven Spielberg, the creators of the film have set up the Trembling Before G-d Orthodox Education Project, to teach Orthodox educators and rabbis about homosexuality,[7] as well as convening the first Orthodox Mental Health Conference on Homosexuality and training facilitators to show the film to community leaders.[30] Over 2000 principals, educators and school counselors have attended screenings within Israel's religious school system.[31] The film has now been seen by an estimated 8 million people worldwide.[32] Following the success of Trembling before G-d, DuBowski is now working to produce a documentary about gay devout Muslims entitled In the Name of Allah.[32]
See also
References
- ^ a b Newyorkerfilms.com, Trembling Before G-d: A Film by Sandi Simcha DuBowski. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ McConnell, Robert, French Realism & Cinema Verite, Parlez-vous.com. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ a b c Wadler, Joyce (October 30, 2001) Even His Freeze-Frame Moments Seem Spastic (requires registration), The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
- ^ a b Rechtshaffen, Michael (February 25, 2002), Trembling before G-d, Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ a b Boxofficemojo.com, Trembling Before G-d. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ a b c Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, About the Film. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ a b c d USAToday.com (January 21, 2005), 'Trembling Before G-d': Sandi Simcha DuBowski. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
- ^ Dorff, Elliot; Nevins, Daniel and Reisner, Avram (December 6, 2006), Homosexuality, Human Dignity, and Halakha, The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ Lamm, Norman, Judaism and the Modern Attitude to Homosexuality, Jonahweb.org. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ Israelwire.com (May 18, 1999), Rabbi Ordained by Yeshiva University Announces He is Gay. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ a b Pearlman, Barry (Fall 2001), "Interview with Sandi Dubowski", Filmmaker Magazine.
- ^ Monserrate, Carey (March 22, 2004), Trembling Playground: two young directors discuss film, faith, and the challenges of documenting religion., CrossCurrents magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ Rich, Tracey R., Judaism 101: The Name of G-d, Jewfaq.org. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, Who's Who. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Kevin (February 20, 2002), 'Trembling Before G-d': A documentary by Sandi Simcha DuBowski looks at the conflict between honoring one's religion and sexual orientation., Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ Armstrong, Rod, Reel Review: Trembling Before G-d, Reel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ Gonzalez, Ed, Trembling Before G-d, Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ French, Philip (June 1, 2003), Trembling Before G-d, The Observer. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ a b Burke, Brian (November 17, 2003), Trembling Before G-d, DVDVerdict.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks (October 30, 2001), ""Trembling" Opens Strong in NYC; Sets One-Day Record", Indiewire.
- ^ Keough, Peter (December 13 - 20, 2001), TREMBLING BEFORE G-D, Thephoenix.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ Top Movies:Best of Rotten Tomatoes 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ Cohen, Debrah (September 11, 2001), The ‘Trembling’ Phenomenon: Film on religious gays making big impact, The Jewish Week. Retrieved February 11, 2007.
- ^ Jacobson, Paul (February 27, 2005), Trembling before G-d Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ Am Echadf Resources, (October 28, 2001), Trembling before G-d: A new film examines the dichotomy of the Orthodox homosexual., Aish.org. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
- ^ Shafran, Avi, Dissembling Before G-d - The Agudath Israel Response. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ a b Linekin, Kate (July 18, 2002), A twist of faith: Trembling Before G-d, Eye.net. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
- ^ Creative-capital.org, Sandi DuBowski: Trembling Before G-d Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ Amazon.com's listing of Trembling before G-d, with DVD details. Retrieved March 7, 2007.
- ^ Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, Trembling Before G-d: Resources. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ Clal.org, CLAL Faculty: Steven Greenberg. Retrieved March 9, 2007.
- ^ a b Dettman, Katie (October 19, 2006), Benefit held for gay Islam film, Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved March 9, 2007.