★★
Pressured to marry a nice Orthodox Jewish woman, Motti is thrown for a loop when he falls for his classmate Laura, who his mother will never approve of.
Classification: 15
It's tradition versus individuality in Michael Steiner's comedy-drama about an orthodox Jewish man Mordechai Wolkenbruch known by Motti to his friends who finds himself drawn towards a way of life outside of family and religious tradition. Steiner's approach to the material isn't necessarily a condemnation of the religion's practices but it doesn't provide a proper resolution towards Motti's storyline or his relationships. Either with his strict overbearing mother Judith or the Schickse herself Laura. Schickse being a Yiddish term for a non-Jewish woman, the very idea of Motti interacting with one let alone pursuing romance would send his friends and family into shock. The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch as the title suggests is about this character discovering who is beyond the identity of his family and religion.
Joel Basman's lead performance as Motti has him break the fourth wall at intervals to explain orthodox Jewish customs, the strong values of family and tradition but also the isolated nature of the community. Motti's interactions are almost entirely exclusive to members of this community where he has little self-confidence as feels caught in a cycle. One of the themes of the film is individuality, Motti who is currently being forced to attend Shidduch's, a Jewish form of matchmaking feels he is being placed on an identical path to all those he knows. To be married, have children, run a business, then to have those children be put on the same path. It's not a criticism of orthodox Judaism but more of a statement on the complacency that life can create, this sense of an inescapable grind leading to nothing satisfactory. Motti in his own ways begins to rebel against the traditions of his family.
His motivation is driven by his attraction for his classmate Laura, a Schickse who finds Motti endearing and has genuine affection for him and his culture. Steiner creates comedy from cultural differences but it never feels insulting, operating almost like a coming of age story. The character and the story need Motti to question the pillars of his existence in order to grow as an individual within an environment that would temper that curiosity. While Steiner's film isn't offensive it does play to stereotypes especially concerning the performance of Inge Maux as Judith. Maux's portrayal is one of the most engaging pieces of the film with her passion as the tyrannical, loving mother captures the character's dominant nature but the failure of Steiner and writer Thomas Meyer to create a proper resolution fails her and Motti's story. It's all centring around the conflict between Motti and Judith, that his relationship with Laura is forbidden and that Judith disapproves of his newfound lifestyle choices. When it all comes to blows there is no outcome that sees their arguments debated and have them find common ground.
By missing the opportunity to have his story teach a lesson and have his characters learn from one another, The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch becomes inconsequential. Whatever criticisms or commentary it wants to make about individuality against collective, religious freedom, or the importance of personal happiness and family are lost. Even with its quirky performances and sequences, the charm fades quickly because Steiner is unable to provide real answers to the serious questions he presents. He has a man forgo his identity, religious identity in the name of love but at the moment where he loses everything, Steiner merely stops his story. The film doesn't need a happy ending where Motti makes peace with his mother and gets the girl but Steiner leaves an uncomfortable impression that overbearing religion should not be deviated from.
A disappointing end to a mediocre film, The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch may have enough idiosyncrasies to keep the audience engaged but Motti doesn't give the resolution needed to make itself worthwhile. The look into the life of Orthodox Judaism is fun especially with Udo Samel's performance as Motti's loveable father and Meytal Gal as the liberating Jael from Israel. However, all the good elements of the film feel for nought as again the final product seems more critical of its themes and ideas than an actual exploration of them.
Director: #MichaelSteiner
Cast: #NoémieSchmidt, #JoelBasman, #UdoSamel, #SunnyiMelles, #RachelBraunschweig, #MeytalGal, #IngeMaux
Release Date: October 25th 2019
Available to stream on Netflix
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images from the Internet Movie Database, Synopsis from Netflix
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