A documentary about Hasidic and Orthodox Jews? Gay Hasidic and Orthodox Jews? Okay, so it's not going to eat up four screens at your local multiplex, but Sandi Simcha Dubowski's film makes for gripping viewing.
Exploring the impossibility of reconciling religious faith with sexual orientation, Dubowski tells of the fate that awaits those who dare to challenge the rabbinical teachings on the "abomination" of homosexuality. Expelled from their religious schools and synagogues, disowned by their families and forced into psychiatric treatment, it's a brave gay or lesbian who decides to come out.
Filmed in America, Israel and London over a five-year period, Trembling Before G-d gives voice to those who continue to suffer in silence. A deeper historical context would have been helpful, but these personal stories illustrate how religious dogma can cruelly prohibit our fundamental human desire to love and be loved.
