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Hester Street
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by First Run Features
Sales Rank: 18175
Price: $29.95
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<I>Hester Street</I> is a delightfully quaint film about the assimilation of Jewish immigrants in America in the late 1800s. Steven Keats is Jake, a self-made Yankee who has shaved his beard and side curls in favor of an updated look. An émigré from Russia, Jake's been living in New York's Lower East Side for five years, taking up with a new woman and earning enough money to support his dance hall ways. To his dismay, his wife, Gitl (played charmingly by Carol Kane), and son, Yossele, join him from the Old World. Jake is embarrassed by his wife, who retains her religious ways, wearing the wigs and scarves that tradition dictates. In turn, Gitl is distraught over the changes in Jake, who insists on calling their son Joey and trying to modernize them both.<p> Those used to Kane as a comedian will be surprised at her quiet performance in this simple period piece, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award®. Her story, though, is compelling, and in the end, immensely satisfying. The black and white film is rough around the edges--microphones in shots, occasional poor sound--but <I>Hester Street</I> nonetheless offers an engaging look at another time and a completely different way of life. <I>--Jenny Brown</I>
Viewer Reviews
This film deserves five stars for a few reasons. As long as you take it for what it is -- an engaging story, quite non-Hollywood, made on a small budget -- it provides many pleasant surprises. Two scenes were particularly memorable to me, one involving a marriage proposal and the other a religious divorce ceremony. Each was understated, yet every word and gesture was laden with meaning, in an almost Jane Austen manner.
But what really stood out to me is the way the film defies the usual cliches. This film compares favorably, for example, to The Chosen, which is another film about the interplay of Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews. In The Chosen, all the good lines and good decisions in the movie lie on the side of modernity. In Hester Street, tradition and Orthodoxy receive their due, and I would even say the film has a slight tilt in their favor.
The film is excellent for couples. It is also suitable for teens and younger kids, but will not be liked by children who want car chases and similar action. The ending may be a bit too easy and happy for people who equate angst and suffering with "serious" art.
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