Trembling Before G-d (2001)

Director:

Sandi Simcha Dubowski

Release Date:

6 December 2001 (Israel)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

The hidden lives of gay and lesbian Orthodox and Hasidic Jews.

Plot:

A cinematic portrait of various gay Orthodox Jews who struggle to reconcile their faith and their sexual orientation.

Plot Keywords:

Jew | Gay | Lesbian | Orthodox Jew | Homosexuality

Awards:

8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Shlomo Ashkinazy	...	Himself - Psychotherapist
Steve Greenberg	...	Himself (as Rabbi Steve Greenberg)
Nathan Lopes Cardozo	...	Himself (as Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo)
Naomi Mark	...	Herself - Psychotherapist
Shlomo Riskin	...	Himself (as Rabbi Shlomo Riskin)
Yaakov Meir Weil	...	Himself - Psychiatrist (as Dr. Yaakov Meir Weil)

Also Known As:

Ils tremblent devant Dieu (France) (TV title)

Runtime:

Germany:80 min | Germany:94 min | UK:84 min

Country:

Israel | France | USA

Language:

English | Yiddish | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cinephil

Trivia:

The spelling of the last word in this movie's title comes from the Jewish tradition of treating any written representation of the name of God with respect, and not writing it on any document that might be treated carelessly or accidentally or deliberately defaced, destroyed, or erased (a longstanding Rabbinical interpretation of Deuteronomy 12:3). Since this movie, like most, had posters, sales materials, contractual paperwork, DVD covers, and other ephemera with its title on them go out into public hands, the filmmakers used the G-d spelling out of respect and recognition that there was no way to know how the documents on which the name would be treated outside or their presences.

Quotes:

Rabbie Meir Fund: ...so the Jew who is gay by choice... work like made to overcome it... a Jew who is, as we might say, wall-to-wall gay... I will hold his hand, figuratively,... and do the best I can to give him strength to serve G-d.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Trembling Before G-d/Midori (#4.25)" (2002)

A moving eloquent film.

This film is wonderful. It's a moving account of devout Jewish LGBT people. They tell their stories with honesty, humour and candour. The film is beautifully shot and the score becomes an integral part of the film (almost another character). The whole package is really very moving, but, to be honest, the footage can verge on the grainy (although the silhouette scenes are incredibly beautiful), and the subjects can verge on the irritating. (Some of the Rabbis need a holy kick to the head!) Nevertheless, really worth watching. The extras with the DVD are also a nice bonus. This film has become a movement in itself bringing healing and discussion of this important issue within Jewish circle. (There needs to be a Christian version of this film! A dialogue about the question of how to reconcile LGBT Christians passionate love of their faith and the Divine with the drastic Biblical prohibitions that forbid homosexuality.)