Interview: Gidi Dar

IONCINEMA.com’s Justin Ambrosino sat down with Gidi Dar director of Ushpizin, Gidi’s second feature length film as director.

There is no doubt that Ushpizin is an ultra-Orthodox Jewish film, it could be easily be considered a propaganda piece, missionary work, but only because it was written by a believer, Shuli Rand, who must never break the commandments and must always speak the word of God. But what is important here is that it is also directed by someone outside of the religion who is fascinated with the mind of a believer and his name is Gidi Dar. Ushpizin is a film that enters into this particular Jewish religious sect whose members don’t even watch movies for it can be seen as blasphemous, again because of the commandments state thou shall not worship any other Gods, and to an ultra-Orthodox Jew this even means a depiction of God whether it be a statue or a film. It is a film that believes in miracles and in that idea is where the film shows how the truth is in our own minds and when someone believes in something so strongly, and cannot see in any other direction, this is the truth to him.

Ushpizin which means “Holy Guests “ is set during the festive holiday of Succoth, a holiday that reminds the Jewish people of the time when the Children of Israel left Egypt and had to stay in temporary dwellings called Succoth. Moshe, a devote religious man, and his wife, Malli, are in need of money not only to pay the rent but also to partake in the holiday rituals of Succoth that include building a Succah (the place where they are to stay during the holiday), and purchasing a citron to be blessed with male children. They have been trying to have a child for five years so this becomes a very important time of the year. Depressed, they complain only to themselves. They are silent suffers. They pray asking God for help, believing in miracles and the idea that if they pray enough it will surely happen. And so a miracle does happen and they are able to partake in the holiday. They are even able to buy the most beautiful citron in the region. Everything seems to taking a turn for the best until Moshe’s past comes to haunt him in the form of the Ushpizin, but Moshe’s “holy guests” happen to be ex –cons, named Scorpio and Yossef, that escaped prison and Scorpio also happens to be Moshe’s old friend. They take advantage of his new kind heart but they are want to call his bluff – Moshe used to be violent man and Scorpio wants to see that man again. Soon alcohol awakens inhibitions and the tension begins. With the support of his wife coupled with his strong faith Moshe calms himself down, he finds peace in God and sees his new found troubles as a test from God. Scorpio and Yossef continue to push Moshe to the limit, causing chaos in his life and in his mind and he must have the faith to overcome it. The holiday is full of turmoil but god will lead them out of it.

There is one scene in particular that stands out as a powerful expression of the trance –like state a true believer can enter into while amidst a prayer session. At the height of the pressure of poverty, Moshe’s wife forces him to go out and pray to God. Moshe is fatigue and depressed, but he goes anyway. If it is important to his wife, it is important to him. The filmmaker cuts back and forth between these two desperate people, Moshe and Malli, as they are praying, begging, pleading, asking God for some kind of miracle. It is a powerful moment that resonates after the film is over.

The film’s setting barely leaves the street in Israel where this community lives. It is an isolated society that we are welcomed into. The actors and extras and their clothes and mannerisms are real because in fact they are local members of the ultra-Orthodox sect in Jerusalem. The speaking roles went to those who used to be actors but then gave it up to become devotes Jews just like the writer and main actor who play Moshe, Shuli Rand. It’s a very traditional film, maybe even early Hollywood. The pacing, the conflict and cinematography as Gidi Dar, the director, says, “are inspired by American Cinema rules. It’s a quiet conflict”.

Gidi was interested in asking psychological questions about the mind of a believer but not in the normal direct way, instead leaving the questioning up to the audience. Miracles due occur in the movie but there is always a human hand behind it. Gidi was quick to note that “the charity organization that gives the money to Moshe really exists. It wasn’t a unique situation. Every poor guy gets something every once and a while and they are always surprised the way they get it”. When asked about the film being perceived as propaganda he says, “they told me if a religious director made this, it would end up being propaganda, because that is his job to go out and make believers out of people. It is one of the commandments. But for me, yes I was concerned of that, but what interested me, as an artist, was not the outside point of view”.

Shuli Rand plays Moshe as he walks the line of his new found, peaceful way of life and his violent past. His face flames up in anger but his heart cools him down. His facial gestures express all his emotions that hide beneath his thick beard and dark eyes. He wrote this film after taking an eight year absence from acting in order to be a devoutly religious man. His real life wife and also a first-time actor Michal Bat Sheva Rand plays his wife in the movie, Malli. You can see the real chemistry between them. They are comfortable with each other. She is playful and entertaining in her performance. Then there are the criminals, the “holy guests”, Yosseff, played by Ilan Ganani and Scorpio played Shaul Mizrah. They too walk a line but for them it is a line of criminality. They seem vicious, dangerous and suspicious but there crimes are never revealed to us and they never get the opportunity to show their true selves which in a way is disappointing and unrealistic, but in the end, this is parable and they are supposed to be the “holy guests” sent from God, even they don’t even know it.

Ushpizin is traditional even with its happy ending. The only moments that seem close to reality are the ones when the criminals are outside the prison and in the city in search of a place to hide out. Once they reach Moshe and stay in his Succa the rest of the film never leaves this believer’s point of view again. But then again that is a reality too, one that we might not be so familiar with.

Picturehouse’s Ushpizin opens (tomorrow) in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday October 19th and is then opening in select markets.