As Jewish arts centre JW3 celebrat the bt of LGBT culture, and the release of BFI-backed documentary Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? draws closer, we remember some of the bt Jewish and Israeli gay and lbian films.
Contents:
- A YOUNG HASIDIC MAN LEADS A GAY DOUBLE LIFE BLACK HAT
- THE GAY ORTHODOX UNRGROUND
- GAY, ORTHODOX, AND TREMBLG: THE RISE OF JEWISH ORTHODOX GAY NSCNS, 1970S-2000S
- ORTHODOX AND GAY
A YOUNG HASIDIC MAN LEADS A GAY DOUBLE LIFE BLACK HAT
* orthodox jewish gay movie *
A gay Orthodox love story set 1980s Brooklyn, the film navigat the emotnal terra of relign and sexualy exquisely. Recently released to rave reviews, s subtlety speaks volum to the gay Orthodox experience. Another Israeli film by teemed LGBT Israeli director Eytan Fox, “Yossi & Jagger” follows a gay relatnship wh the nfements of the Israeli Defense Forc.
An LGBT classic for Israelis, this film expertly navigat gay romance wh the limatns of the IDF. As JW3, the Jewish muny centre north London, lnch GayW3, celebratg the liv of the LGBTQ muny throughout history to the prent day through film, theatre, mic and discsn, and upliftg Brish-Israeli documentary Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?, backed by the BFI, prepar for s cema release, now is a great time to look back at the bt of Jewish and Israeli LGBT cema. Gay Jewish characters have been the subject of great films om around the world, and the list below featur films om the UK, France, Germany, the US, and, of urse, Israel.
THE GAY ORTHODOX UNRGROUND
In 2001, the documentary movie, Tremblg Before God, was played Jewish and gay film ftivals around the world, provokg strong emotnal reactns. Tremblg Before God pris terviews wh Orthodox Jewish gay and lbian persons who vividly and movgly scribe their stggl to live t … * orthodox jewish gay movie *
A number of Brish films jt missed the list, cludg Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), which Jewish doctor Peter Fch enjoyed Brish cema’s first male-on-male kiss; award-wng short film Sidney Turtlebm (2008), starrg Derek Jabi as an elrly gay Jewish pickpocket and nman; and Lisa Gornick’s latt film, The Book of Gabrielle (2016), a funny and sharp study of a Jewish lbian whose sexualy is thrown to turmoil.
The 10 films foc on culturally Jewish films featurg gay and lbian protagonists, almost all of which were directed by Jewish filmmakers.
His adaptatn of Mart Crowley’s play, about a group of gay men who gather for Harold’s party, rultg a cel eveng of sadistic gam and sabotage, me at the wrong time – as the gay liberatn movement tablished s voice the early 1970s, negative or prsg pictns of gay men the media were seen as archaic and obstctive to progrs. While Michael, the pathetic protagonist, is ed an unlikeable and self-pyg monster, the other characters are far more sympathetic, while the glor Harold, utterly unashamed of his homosexualy and wh nothg to hi, emerg om the rnage unsthed.
GAY, ORTHODOX, AND TREMBLG: THE RISE OF JEWISH ORTHODOX GAY NSCNS, 1970S-2000S
Friedk would go on to make a far more dub gay film – the notor S&M killer thriller Cisg (1980).
Torch Song Trilogy (1988)Harvey Fierste is bt known for his stage work, particularly for wrg the books for the stage mils La Cage x Foll and Kky Boots, jog Stephen Sondheim and Jerry Herman as Broadway legends who happened to be both gay and Jewish. It hasn’t dated a jot – more’s the py, as ristance to effemate men and gay adoptn still prevail today. The star of the show, though, is Fierste, who mak Arnold a lovable, vulgar and believably human figure who challenged the perceptn of drag queens as sexls clowns shamg the gay muny.
He kicked off his short reer wh Driftg (1982), a grim, semi-tobgraphil tale of a gay filmmaker tryg and failg to fd love and fundg for his next film.
ORTHODOX AND GAY
Amazg Grace, ma nearly a later, is a much stronger piece of work, about two gay men – one an nocent teenager om a troubled fay, the other an HIV patient – who fall for each other after meetg Tel Aviv.
In Man Is a Woman, he brgs all his nsirable charm and charisma to the role of Simon, a gay Klezmer mician who is offered 10 ln ancs om his tradnalist uncle if he agre to marry a woman.