AinuraM Review of Trembling Before G-d

Trembling Before G-d (2001)

Must-watch for religious people, and the rest of you too.

[10/10 · 27 September 2020]

This film "Trembling Before G-d" is a thought-provoking piece, it shows different perspectives of people who originate within the same community. The inquiry behind the documentary aims at showing the position which religion takes in the hearts of the subjects, considering - and in some cases, regardless - of what kinds of negative outcomes come with it. Both the genre and the style are documentary, with minimal interjections of non-diegetic music (some traditional music is played throughout, but no background narrator commentary), leaving only interviewees' answers (and some commentors', like therapists) for the audience to witness. This creates an empathic position from the very start and helps you to relate with the subjects, religious or not. The content revolves around people, no matter young and old, identifying as gay and being previously raised in a Jewish community and having received a religious education. The outlook and thoughts of each of them are tightly connected to the sacred scripture Torah, many times Talmud and Torah are mentioned (and opinions on what Halakha would entail); one of the subjects referred to Torah being "the most important present" to be given (1:14:47-1:14:58) and expressed gratifying feelings toward G-d for being a Jew. Noticeably, even the film's title is spelled with G-d rather than God, I believe it is so because it is unadvisable to put God's name somewhere without utmost respect (everything where the name is written becomes holy). Thus, we can see how the religious adherence influences the lives of people directly to the tiniest details; especially through such extreme examples where parents refuse to contact their children after coming-out. The father's persistent refusal to meet his son at an age that old was shocking (re-watch 1:09:07-1:12:40). Some parents acted otherwise only because Rabbi recommended them to keep relationship with the daughter (1:05:37-1:08:40). This question, or rather issue, of putting one's religious identity over any other identity (e.g. familial belonging, sexual orientation) in my opinion, is central to the theme of the film. The film highlights Jewish community's affinity to the religious practices: diverse religious rituals such as Sabbath are mentioned in conversation, and Jewish wedding ceremonies shown to be involving traditional rituals too. Almost every ordinary gathering is accompanied by songs or recitals from the holy books. At the same time, juxtaposed to this trend are the conflicted feelings of the queer community, who want to stay Orthodox but cannot figure a way to do so, mainly for the reason that every figure who has an authority in religious questions (Rabbis, seniors) repeatedly assume that there is something wrong in being a queer. Such predicament is fundamentally harmful for mental state in the long-term, as was noted by one of the therapists (06:06-06:39) and depicted in length through the distressing example of the subject who tried to "change" for 20 years. The parties who eventually try or do understand the real situation provide only one answer: to stay celibate for the rest of your life. I do not know what kind of reaction should be here, but from an outsider position, that is surely absurd suggestion to make as a person who is supposed to help people become happy in harmony with religion. If it is not the function of the Rabbi, and only strict observation of their teachings are valid, then would it mean that religion only has place for certain groups of people? Such rhetorical questions are the only response I get from within. I greatly sympathize with the subjects of the documentary and wish their lives could be less miserable. On the other hand, some commentors have explained that G-d himself can be influenced. That is the reason why the sacred scriptures are studied further. "Moses influences G-d, Abraham influences G-d; G-d, Blessed Be He, wishes to learn from his conversations with human beings... that's what covenant is about!" says one of the commentors (1:15:24-1:15:43). Another states: "When you don't know, you tend to demonize and almost dehumanize ... as you see this sincerity, this prayer, you can no longer demonize, dehumanize" (01:02:19-01:02:40). Although some representatives of Rabbis may have this understanding attitude, it is clear that there are people dissatisfied with the status quo. For instance, the shot at 54:20 shows a protester who shouts: "We are fed-up that the ultra-Orthodox rule Israel" (lasts until 54:30). Hence the film also highlights how each of the experiences is different and depends on where the subjects live, their background, etc. In conclusion, most of the Jewish people are "Trembling Before G-d", and even more so if they belong to the LGBTQ+ community, because the fundamental aspirations for companionship or family in life seem to be unattainable; moreover, many feel alienated from their close ones and the Jewish community for religious reasons. Meanwhile queer people cannot liberate themselves from their roots, they intentionally choose to adhere to their beliefs, which in turn brings difficulties of various scope to their lives. The question remains unresolved: how can they be happy with their identities so that the Halakha would not be violated.