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Archive for the 'Film' Category

Michaelson: Taking Avatar Seriously

Jay Michaelson’s musings related to the movie Avatar in Forward compares and contrasts its message to that of Kabbalah in the areas of  spiritual and practical environmentalisms. He connects mysticism and environmentalisms in two ways, namely:

“Avatar’s” deep ecology is interwoven with its pantheistic, quasi-kabbalistic notion of a “web of life.” Indeed, the latter necessitates the former: it’s impossible to believe that all life is deeply connected, and yet not be troubled when the sinews of that connection are frayed and destroyed…

A second convergence between “Avatar” and Jewish mysticism is the controversial point that while individual actions are important and individual responsibility remains a value, the communal matters more: the overall health of the system, the shared justice of a society.

Read the full article.

Secrets (2007)

Ha-Sodot (Secrets) is a film from 2007 that has plenty of connection to Kabbalah. Here si one description from IMDB:

In The Secrets, two brilliant young women discover their own voices in a repressive orthodox culture where females are forbidden to sing, let alone speak out. Naomi, the studious, devoutly religious daughter of a prominent rabbi, convinces her father to postpone her marriage for a year so that she might study at a Jewish seminary for women in the ancient Kabalistic seat of Safed. Naomi’s quest for individuality takes a defiant turn when she befriends Michelle, a free-spirited and equally headstrong fellow student. When the pair encounters a mysterious, ailing foreigner with a disturbing past named Anouk (the iconic French actress Fanny Ardant) they begin a risky journey into forbidden realms. In the hopes of easing her suffering, Naomi and Michelle secretly lead Anouk through a series of Kabalistic cleansing rituals. The process opens up overwhelming new horizons for the girls who find themselves caught between the rigid male establishment they grew up in, and the desire to be true to themselves, no matter the cost.

Adam’s Wall (film, 2008)

According to an Hour.ca review Adam’s Wall, a Canadian movie from last year, about the love story of a Lebanese woman and a Jewish man has kabbalistic references:

The rift between their two cultures deepens. Then bombs fall on Beirut, and Yasmine’s mother goes missing. The drama between Paul and Yasmine deepens. Winding through all this is an interplay of mystical secrets of Sufism and Kabbalah being kept by a bookstore owner named Mostapha (Tyrone Benskin).