One aspect of Israeli society that has been neglected on the Israeli screen these past 60 years is any kind of study of Orthodoxy. The first to try to tackle the subject in a feature narrative was Benjamin Hayeem in his raucous 1976 "The Black Banana," followed more than two decades later by Amos Gitai’s "Kadosh." Both films showed a great deal of anger toward traditional Judaism and disdain for religious practice. While Hayeem’s portrait was unsympathetic, Gitai did provide some insight into the intricacies of Jewish practice with his study of a rabbi’s son who is forced to divorce his wife of over a decade because she is unable to bear him a child. Over the last dozen years, there have been more than 100 short features on Jewish and specifically religious issues produced by students in Israel’s myriad film schools, most notably the Maale School in Jerusalem. This, it is hoped, will help bring more films on Jewish issues to the Israeli screen. Joseph Cedar, a traditional Jew, struggled with important issues like the incendiary power of the yeshiva rabbi as well as the difficult position of the widow in the religious community in his films "Time of Favor" (2000) and "Campfire" (2004). Then there was Giddi Dar’s popular "Ushpizin" (2004), written by Shuli Rand, that literally brought us into the homes and sukkot of a religious community in Jerusalem. There have since been a few less notable examples. Now comes David Volach’s "My Father My Lord," which opens today at New York’s Lincoln Plaza and Cinema Village and which won the Best Film prize at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

Ilan Grif as Menahem Eidelman photo by Boaz Yakov

I had a hard time with Volach’s film. Its slow pace and lengthy shots made me want to retreat and move on to some sort of adventure film or thriller. Its style is not for everyone, and many may be turned off by its limited conversations and minimal action. Most of the dialogue is largely made up of words taken from the prayer book and quotes from the Bible. The film, which is titled "Hufshat Kayitz" in Hebrew ("Summer Vacation"), focuses on Rabbi Abraham Eidelman, his wife Esther, and their young child Menahem. They take a short vacation at the Dead Sea.

Assi Dayan as Rabbi Eidelman photo by Gil Sassower

Assi Dayan plays the rabbi, who is clearly held in high regard by his students and whose limited time with his son Menahem is largely spent grilling him on which prayer is appropriate for the various activities of his day. The rabbi’s wife is pretty much there to serve her husband and care for their son. Menahem is cute, a good student, and inquisitive about nature. ("Why do animals have no soul?" he asks.) The choice of first names stands out, as Avraham is the leader and teacher of his distinct community, Esther, like the queen in the Megillah, is there to serve her husband, and Menahem is the one to be consoled and who seeks comfort. Dayan — the atheist son of Moshe Dayan — who never had a bar mitzvah and played the rabbi so well in "Time of Favor" is once again brilliant; pretty impressive for a guy who had never worn a tallit before his 50th birthday. Gifted actress Sharon Hacohen Bar is excellent and understated as Esther and young Ilan Griff is superb as the loving and inquisitive child. The acting is exceptional and the camerawork interesting, but the story left me wanting to get to the action. What "My Father My Lord" does provide is a study of a haredi community and the demands of the head of the community, his desires for his offspring, and a piercing look at such a man’s relationship with his wife and particularly with his child. We see how this leader sees the world and how he perceives it though the written word given by the Lord Almighty.

First-time director and screenwriter David Volach, one of 20 children, was raised in a Jerusalem haredi community. It was only at the age of 25 that he left for Tel Aviv and became a secular Jew. He brings an intimate knowledge of the community to the screen. But it is unclear whether his portrait is biased, truthful, or angry. Volach tells of a rabbi’s love of God and willingness to do anything that is asked of him. Early in the film, we hear Menahem being asked by a teacher to repeat the specifics of the "Akeda," the story of the binding of Isaac by his father Abraham. But does Volach bring to his work rage about his own upbringing or is this reverence for a leader who holds such power over his community through his learning, charisma, and insights? What Volach does is take us out of the yeshiva and into the home of this rabbi, where we’re given a glimpse into his family’s life.

For anyone who is drawn to look deeply into the Israeli haredi community, this might prove eye-opening. Indeed, certain moments invite the viewer to pause and search the sources, as when the rabbi sends a mother dove away from its nest. But the slow pacing and creative yet cautious camera can be viewed as this film’s strength or it undoing.