Gidi Dar directs Ushpizin, a 2004 Israeli film. Ushpizin or Ha-Ushpizin means “The Guests,” which also serves as the English title for the film in some markets. This film is incredibly unique in that it covers highly religious traditions without being demeaning to those that are practicing the orthodox traditions. Ushpizin is a refreshingly humorous film that takes a look at the lives of orthodox Jews living in modern Israel.
Ushpizin stars the winner of the Best Actor award at the 2004 Israeli Film Academy Shuli Rand, who also wrote the film. Rand had actually retired from acting after he became religious, but he agreed to return to acting solely for this film. Prior to Ushpizin, Rand worked with director Gidi Dar on another film, 1992’s Eddie King, which was a thriller. Rand has appeared in eight films overall, his most recent besides Ushpizin being in 1997 as he had a small role in a short film by Israeli filmmaker Yoram Zak. Rand had two conditions upon his return to acting for Ushpizin. The first was that his wife, Michal Bat-Sheva Rand, would play his wife in the film. The second was that the film would not be screened on the Jewish Sabbath in Israel. Both conditions were met.
Rand plays Moshe Bellanga and, as mentioned, Michal Bat-Sheva Rand plays his wife, Malli. The couple are orthodox Jews. They live in an orthodox neighbourhood in modern Israel and the time of Succoth is approaching. Succoth is a pilgrimage festival that lasts for seven days. Succoth, also known as Sukkot, marks a festival in which Jews are to build a temporary structure in which to eat their meals, which is called a sukkah. They do this to mark the dwelling of the Israelites in the desert for 40 years after the exodus from Egypt. Succoth is intended to recognize a reflection on God’s grace during the time in the desert as He provided for the needs of His people.
As the film opens, we find Moshe broke and living in a “lump of sadness.” He and his wife are without child and, as we can infer, have been trying for quite some time. They continue the various rituals of their faith which appear to bless the proceedings, but nothing has worked so far. The issue of childbirth continues to be a very complex area for Malli. As Succoth approaches, the pair wants to serve God even further. After receiving an anonymous gift and a seemingly abandoned sukkah, the Bellanga couple open the place up. Soon, a pair of scoundrels with a history of knowing Moshe in his previous years of youthful destruction arrives. The pair, Eliyahu (Shaul Mizrahi) and Yossef (Ilan Ganani) takes advantage of the couple and question Moshe’s turn to devout Judaism.
Ushpizin covers issues of redemption, as we learn about the changes that Moshe encountered to become the man he is. Rand is wonderful in the role and one can tell that he really has a sense for his material, as he writes and performs with a passion for the subjects he covers. Rand’s Moshe has a shadowy past and was prone to anger and outbursts, according to his guests, but his ability to overcome such a past and to turn to God in utter faithfulness, even in the despair of not being able to have a child with Malli, is reflective of his devout character. Malli is also ever faithful and the performance by Michal Bat-Sheva Rand is a good one.
The film also covers the issue of worthiness. As Ushpizin was the first film made by members of ultra-orthodox communities and secular filmmakers, the idea of worthiness was certainly one to be looked at from both sides. Here, the stories are rich and textured. As Malli and Moshe learn to be patient with the guests as responding to God’s tests, we learn more about their characters, their faith, and their lifestyle. Ushpizin introduces Western audiences to the type of devout attitudes that are relatively uncommon in Western culture but are relatively common throughout the global religious community. Instead of seeing fear tactics or parodies or oversimplification of religious views on film, Ushpizin offers us clarity and dignity through its richness.
Ushpizin is a decent film, but it won’t be earth shattering stuff to most people. I found a lot of the characterizations interesting and engaging, overall, but the pacing of the film leaves something to be desired. The performances, while good, are also fairly standard save for lead actor Shuli Rand. Overall, Ushpizin is worth seeing if you’d like a look at something different or if you’d like to see what Israeli cinema is up to. There are likely better films from Israel than this, but it still can be interesting for those looking for a glimpse into the lives of devout orthodox Jews.
7/10
