‘Sabbath Queen’ Review: A Provocative If Cluttered Face-Off Between Different Notions of Judaism
variety.comDennis Harvey Film Critic With the question “What is a Jew?” as much of a politicized hot potato these days as it’s ever been, “Sabbath Queen” adds plenty of fuel to an already fiery debate.
Like director Sandi DuBowski’s prior documentary “Trembling Before G-d” (2001), this long-aborning followup puts a spotlight on LGBTQ protagonists struggling to make a place for themselves within — or despite — the cultural and religious strictures of the Orthodox Judaism they were raised in.
But principal subject Amichai Lau-Lavie has gone well beyond that to publicly promote notions of gay and interfaith marriage, among other progressive concepts considered heretical by many.
His critics include members of his own family, whose rabbinical lineage can be traced back to the 11th century. Shot over the course of 21 years, with archival materials going back much further, this is the kind of activist portrait whose sides seem so diametrically opposed, it’s hard to imagine reconciliation is even possible. (And as noted here, conservative Orthodox communities are the only Jewish ones whose population keeps growing, leaving liberal secularist ones increasingly marginalized.) But this Tribeca premiere is sure to stir considerable dialogue as it travels the festival circuit and beyond.
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