The Secrets is proof again – after The Edge of Heaven and The World Unseen – that lesbian drama can be done beautifully and poignantly, without dipping into melodrama or heavy cliché. Directed by Avi Nesher, the film follows two young, orthodox Jewish women who fall in love with one another as they go to seminary school in the sacred Israeli city of Safed.
Warning: Minor spoilers
The movie opens on Noemi (Ania Bukstein), a deadly serious, bookish young woman dealing with the death of her mother and her engagement to the joyless, condescending Michael (Guri Alfi). Eager to escape her particular lot, she enrolls in seminary school in Safed, where she meets Michel (Michal Shtamler), the classic bad girl/rebel (complete with a smoking habit, Euro attitude and disdain for the “backwater town”).
The pair room with the feisty Sheine (Talli Oren) and Sigi (Dana Ivgy) – the comic relief – and clash right from the get-go, setting up the strong, opposites-attract chemistry that builds steadily through the picture.
From left to right: Dana Ivgy, Ania Bukstein, Michal Shtamler and Talli Oren
Unless otherwise noted, all photos by Eyal Landesman
Soon, Noemi and Michel are tasked with bringing food to a sick woman who lives nearby. Anouk (Fanny Ardant) has quite a reputation – she did a stint in prison after murdering her ex-lover, and is now dying from a combination of cancer and heart disease. Michel’s heart goes out to Anouk, who begs the girls to help her make peace with God (or G-D, as it appears in the subtitles).
Fanny Ardant
Photo credit: Marie Dorigny
While Noemi hesitates at first, she eventually pours her heart and soul into devising increasingly elaborate Kabbalah-inspired rituals (called tikkuns) to give Anouk a sense of peace. The girls bond with her and each other on the spiritual quest, leading to a passionate romance. Everything is complicated by the repressive world they live in, which requires some aspects of their relationship to remain secret.
For a long time, Noemi and Michel’s relationship rides the line between friendship and something much deeper, a theme the filmmakers were wise to examine under the context of religious society. The women are naturally affectionate with one another partly because of their culture and its constant gender segregation. Everyone else sees them as “good friends,” despite the fact that their relationship becomes quite physical behind the scenes.
Bukstein (top) and Shtamler
Like many queer films, this rigid societal pressure is a central source of tension within the film. Noemi is constantly reminded that her place in the world is defined by her gender, and even the men who respect her treat her as something of an anomaly – other women are more “light-minded.” More striking is Michel’s trepidation about taking their relationship to a more visible level – something that simply isn’t done.
This contributes to the strong feminist subtext running through the film, something that underscores nearly every scene. The school’s headmistress is a secret feminist, rooting for a change in women’s roles within the religious institution. She recruits Noemi to join her subtle crusade and insinuates that her goal is to see a woman become a rabbi – something she sees as a possibility for her star pupil.
Bukstein
The rhetoric works. Noemi begins to clash with her deeply traditional father and fiancé when she realizes that she can go toe-to-toe with any man in terms of scripture. She interprets the books in radical ways, carving out a place for her subversive agenda. However, no matter how ambitious she is or how earnest her desire to be with Michel, Noemi still runs up against the wall of tradition.
Certainly, one of the strongest themes running through The Secrets is redemption. Anouk seeks forgiveness from God – she even attributes her disease to God’s anger toward her. Noemi herself feels a strong need to atone for her desires, which she later justifies in a hilarious exchange with Michel about how lesbian sex is never specifically forbidden in the scripture. For a long time, however, she punishes herself for her feelings.
There are plenty of even deeper religious undertones, including an exploration of passion and sex as sin. Anouk is as regretful of her more scandalous sexual activities as she is for committing murder, bringing to mind the kind of old-school morality that Noemi and Michel struggle with in their own relationship.
Bukstein (left) and Ardant
Despite the very heavy themes and serious overall tone, the film has a wonderful sense of humor and tight pace that allows lighter moments to shine through the drama. Early on, Sheine and Sigi are established as wacky roommates, Sheine with her constant snacking and gossip and Sigi’s hilarious swearing.
The result is a film that is moving, deep and never boring. The characters become all the more real due to this occasional playfulness, and the film becomes as uplifting as it is heavy.
The production values and performances mirror the quality of the writing. The movie is beautifully shot, with an intimate camera that captures every ounce of the characters’ yearnings, and a soundtrack that truly brings Safed’s intricacies to life. The acting is nothing short of astounding, with a wonderfully nuanced performance from Bukstein.
Shtamler (left) and Bukstein
Ardant and Shtalmer are also quite excellent, fleshing out Anouk’s heartfelt penitence and Michel’s confusion and conflict, respectively. Another standout is Sefi Rivlin’s sober performance as Noemi’s deeply traditional father.
The Secrets is one of the first truly successful examples of queer Jewish cinema from the female perspective, and a layered, rich and rewarding film from any standpoint. However, its bittersweet ending and ambivalent treatment of religion may put off some viewers, as the movie equally embraces the orthodox Jewish faith and rejects some of its tenants.
Much like recent The World Unseen, the overall tone and feel of the film is consistent and sympathetic to characters living “secret” lives in a rigid world. It offers a deeper feminist perspective than your average lesbian flick, and it does so without dragging its characters through melodrama or boring stretches of clumsy rhetoric. It’s a beautiful film, and it’s very much alive, despite the heavy subject matter.
For more on The Secrets, visit its official website (Hebrew). This review was written after a screening at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
