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The Believer
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by Palm Pictures / Umvd
Sales Rank: 31846
Price: $22.49
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I rented this movie as a last resort, mostly to see Ryan Gosling, fully expecting to hate it. As it turned out, I was utterly mistaken in my preconception and so thoroughly blown away by The Believer that I felt I had to write a review. The result is what you have before you! <br /> <br />The main character, Daniel Basint, played to perfection by Ryan Gosling, is a neo-Nazi who turns out to be (since so many other reviewers haved spoiled the surprise) Jewish himself. The character is supposedly based on a real-life grand wizard of the KKK who killed himself when it was discovered that he was of Jewish ethnicity, but I think Daniel's character is a sort of amalgum of that person and diverse other "self-hating" Jewish people, such as Bobby Fischer. <br /> <br />At any rate, The Believer is not really about neo-Nazis or far right wing conspiracies at all--these are actually just props-- but is instead about conflicts within modern Judaism itselt. These include effeminization, the evolution from spirituality to atheism, and to a lesser extent, commercialization and persecution. The superbly developed spiritual conflict within Daniel is the back-bone of the plot. Apparently Daniel is a self-hating Jew, but the true conflict of the movie is not between Daniel and Judaism, but between Daniel and God himself. I don't want to give spoilers, but the most important clues for understanding the true conflict of Daniel are the movie's title and the line of the amazing final scene, where the teacher says, "Don't you know, there's really nothing up there." <br /> <br />Several of the minor characters are also superbly executed as well, such as Daniel's girl friend. Especially the scene when she allows Daniel to witness her in bed with another man is important for her character development. No scene of the movie is gratuitous or hollow of meaning, each is an important tile in a carefully crafted mosaic, if only the watcher will chew on it for a while. In addition, the movie is brimming with smart dialogue, powerful soliquys, and clever dramatic devices. One understated scene, when Daniel tells a girl "You care nothing for the truth" and she responds "You're right--I care about you"--if it means what I think it means--is unfathomable in its implications! <br /> <br />Everyone appears unanimus in agreeing that Ryan Gosling's performance was outstanding. He shows an intensity and diversity of emotion so critical to the success of the story. This performance reveals him to be the best male actor of his generation, if he's given good material with which to work. <br /> <br />I think The Believer epitomizes the pinnacle of what the independent film industry can show us: intellectually complex, off-beat, even dark or offensive thematic material; morally ambiguous characters; the ingredients for real cinematic art. The movie to me is like a story of biblical proportions, a modern-day installment of the Torah. Daniel's spiritual journey stands up beside that of Job, Jonah, or other old testament heroes. I thought the last scene, a phantasm where Daniel is running up the stairwell of his old school, as if caught in an infinite recursion loop, was the exclamation point that accentuated the movie from goodness to greatness. I hope you too will find the story as powerful as I did. <br /> <br />
Viewer Reviews
What a film. This is based on the true story of a Jewish kid (Dan Burros) who gets involved with a neo-nazi group and is torn between his hatred and his love for Judaism. What is most interesting about this film is the philosophical and theological meditations throughout--especially in relation to the story of Abraham and Isaac. A truly great film that has not garnered the attention it deserves.
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The Believer
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