Films

The Secrets (Ha-Sodot)

Israel, 2007, 120 minutes, Drama
Director: Avi Nesher
Hebrew/French with English subtitles

Naomi, the brilliant and pious daughter of an ultra-orthodox rabbi, finds herself at a crossroads when her mother dies and she is expected to immediately marry her father's protégé. Distressed yet determined, she convinces her father to allow her one year of study at a women's religious seminary in Safed, the birthplace of the Kabala, to prepare herself for the sacrifices she will make as a wife.

Her life takes an unexpected turn when she and her new friend Michelle befriend a beautiful, mysterious, terminally ill older woman who has committed a crime of passion. Naomi devises a series of rituals to somehow "purify" her and purge her of her sins, but as these stretch the borders of Jewish law they must be kept secret. Eventually, this journey into the forbidden leads to a growing attraction between the two girls and more crossroads are faced.

LINKS

» Trailer.
» Movie Review: The Secrets (Ha Sodot), by Susan Kandell in Pegasus News.