MovieChat Forums > Kadosh (1999) Discussion > endlessly flawed and overall a complete ...

endlessly flawed and overall a complete crock

posted 19 years ago by keff
4 replies | jump to latest

It’s apparent that the director, writers and everyone else knows nothing about their own religion or the people who practice it.

For instance, there is a scene where the rabbi enters the woman's ritual bath while a naked woman is bathing, puts his hand on another woman’s head and blesses her. This is a complete mockery of the laws, in this scene alone some of the laws broken include:

Modesty, a rabbi would never enter a bath house while there are woman in it.

Improper contact, a rabbi would never put his hand on a woman's head, not to mention that it is not the way a blessing is given.

The woman from the bath is dunking a naked woman by pushing her head under the water, the laws regarding ritual bathing require the entire body to make direct contact with the water; this means nobody should be in contact with the person bathing.

There was more just in that scene alone, (why 13 dunks?!) not to mention the rest of the movie was a total fallacy. It is scary what ignorance can concoct!

[–] dieJuedinUSA 19 years ago

Keff, I believe you when you say that the director failed to accurately portray various aspects of Judaism. However, the movie, as I understood it, was mainly about love, whereas religion was something in the background. The director and the actors did a great job portraying lovers struggling to stay together in a strict environment. I found the movie to be touching, real and beautiful. Yes, the director should have made sure his portrayal of Orthodox-Jewish life was accurate, but the fact he didn't does not undermine the overall excellent quality of the movie. You are, of course, entitled to disagree.

[–] nycbg2001 18 years ago

And disagree I will! It's not 13 but 12 dunks - as in the twelve tribes of Israel! But, that is really beside the point. This film is powerful in its raw depiction of a subculture that rarely shows its real face to the outside world. It is a world so insular and controlled that it is hard to even imagine what goes on inside it. But that is where Kadosh scores a bull's eye! Its depiction of the suffering of Hassidic women is true as much as it is painful to watch! Woman as the depository of man's seed and machine whose main purpose in life is to bear children, preferably male! Woman who is merely an appendage in a radically patriarchal universe! Woman who has to cut off her own hair in order to let the rest of the world know that she is already some man's property!
And what about that scene of Meir and Rivka's first wedding night? I don't recall seeing anything quite as vile and horrible in a loooong time! And yet, how can anyone say that it's not true?
It's a rarely emotional and SOBERING movie!

[–] rosarypliers 17 years ago

I think you are talking about Malka's wedding night. Rivka had very pleasant memories of hers, which explains a lot.

[–] Larry-115 17 years ago

Not too long ago an orthodox rabbi was accused of using his office to molest children in his care. So, are you sure orthodox rabbis are perfect and never commit improprieties? If so, you should have been a witness for the defense of that rabbi ....