The Holy Land (2003)
A film review by Shaun Sages
...the
holy land
GRADE: B-
Starring: Oren Rehany, Tchelet Semel, Saul Stein, Albert Illuz
Directed by Eitan Gorlin
Running Time: 96 minutes
Not Rated
In The Holy Land, a rabbinical student becomes
infatuated with a Russian prostitute - - a shiksah Russian prostitute. Based on
this synopsis, the film must sound intriguing. And thanks to the handful of
colorful characters populating the Jerusalem backdrop, characters that range
from Israeli-extremists to an alcoholic bartender, The Holy Land does
have its moments of intrigue. It’s interesting to watch these people, whose
personalities are extreme opposites of one another, interact and mingle. Too
much mingling, however, takes away from the already thin love story.
The supposed “love-story”, unevenly balanced with lesser interesting
political subplots, is difficult to embrace. The romance section of Holy Land
does have realism on it side, but 10-minutes in and I begged for romantic movie
clichés to rear their heads.
At its core, writer-director Eitan Gorlin’s movie debut is a coming of age
story about a young man conflicted with his religious and political viewpoints.
Considering the film is set in Israel, opinions on religion and politics play a
significant factor in the life of Mendy (Oren Rehany).
Confused and hornier than a dog in heat, the aspiring rabbi cannot concentrate
on his Talmudic studies. When one of the teachers suggests to Mendy that he
visit a bordello in order to rid himself of those pestering hormones, thus
enabling him to regain focus on his studies, the young Jew takes his rabbi’s
advice and journey’s to the perverted part of town. Apparently, having sex
with hookers is acceptable when ones sex-drive interferes with his learning.
At a nearby strip-club he meets Sasha (Tchelet Semel), the prostitute that
temporarily rids Mendy of his drive. He also befriends one of Sasha’s frequent
customers: Mike (Saul Stein), a jolly American photographer who owns a bar in
Jerusalem. Soon, the three characters are living together and learning important
lessons about life. I think.
Viewers who crave for an unconventional movie, The
Holy Land should definitely fit the bill. For the most part, I enjoyed it.
-Copyright
2003 by Shaun Sages