Menashe (played by Menashe Lustig, and mirroring his own life’s story), is an orthodox Hasidic Jew in Brooklyn’s Borough Park, a good man, though utterly hapless. When his wife dies, by tradition he must give his son Rieven over to his pious uncle, as Menashe must find a new wife to raise the boy. Barely able to make ends meet as a grocery store clerk, the despondent Menashe seems to ruin every opportunity that appears before him. When his rabbi grants him one special week with Rieven before his wife’s memorial, Menashe hopes to prove himself a suitable man of faith and and a good father to his impressionable son.
Performed entirely in Yiddish, Menashe carries on the greatest tradition of cinéma vérité, and, though often melancholy, has a wonderfully dry, outsider humor.
“One of the 50 most anticipated American films of 2017.” — Filmmaker Magazine
Director’s Biography
Joshua Z Weinstein: Joshua Z Weinstein is a cinematographer and director. He has directed award-winning commercials and journalism, and played bass in the hardcore band Trophy Scars. On his website, he states, “As a filmmaker and director of photography I bring a gritty realism to my work yet infuse it with a sense of humor and pathos.”
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