Menashe

With its focus on Hasidic Jews, this Yiddish-language drama affords audiences a rare glimpse inside a closed community. Set in Brooklyn and somewhat based on the life of lead actor Menashe Lustig, it follows his titular widower, a shambolic grocery store clerk whose ten-year-old son (Ruben Niborski) has been ordered to live with the family of his brother-in-law (Yoel Weisshaus) until such time as Menashe remarries. Crabby, accident-prone, tardy, broke and less observant of Hasidic customs than is expected, Menashe is a man upon whom the weight of life's disappointments hangs heavily; a load lightened by interactions with his child. Joshua Z Weinstein, best known for his work on documentaries, employs a quietly probing fly-on-the-wall style and cultivates a melancholy tone. This respectful film seems fascinated by the little-seen specifics of Hasidism - its rigid rules and rituals - but its endlessly fallible protagonist remains staunchly relatable. Naturalistic performances and gentle humour add charm to an intimate, informative piece that, without judgement, is alive to the challenges of living a pious, isolated existence.