The Holy Land (2001)

52% of critics liked it
(54 reviews)
68% of users liked it
(497 ratings)

A young man discovers the holiest city in the world can also be full of seductive temptations and ethical challenges in this independent coming-of-age drama. Mendy (Oren Rehany) is the son of a devout Orthodox Jewish family in Tel Aviv. Mendy has been raised to become a man of the cloth, and after… More A young man discovers the holiest city in the world can also be full of seductive temptations and ethical challenges in this independent coming-of-age drama. Mendy (Oren Rehany) is the son of a devout Orthodox Jewish family in Tel Aviv. Mendy has been raised to become a man of the cloth, and after completing his basic education, he travels to Jerusalem to attend rabbinical school. However, Mendy soon discovers that Jerusalem is a larger and more cosmopolitan city than the Tel Aviv neighborhood where he was raised, and as he tries to satisfy his curiosity about the larger world around him, he finds himself seriously tempted for the first by the forbidden pleasures of the secular life. Mendy strikes up an unlikely friendship with Mike (Saul Stein), the owner of a local tavern that serves as a watering hole for eccentrics and outsiders of all stripes, whom Mendy gets to know on a first name basis. Mendy also finds himself thinking about sex, and one of his teachers suggests he visit a brothel as a way of confronting his sinful urges head on. There, he meets Sacha (Tchelet Semel), a Russian girl his age whose tragic story and luminous beauty make a strong impression upon him. Also screened under the title The Jerusalem Syndrome, The Holy Land was the first feature film from writer and director Eitan Gorlin, an Israeli expatriate who himself attended rabbinical school before dropping out to explore the possibilities of secular life in the United States. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Eitan Gorlin
Written By: Eitan Gorlin
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Jul 11, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Sep 7, 2004
Studio: CAVU Releasing

Critic Reviews

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Casts intriguing characters in interesting situations but leaves them adrift in a disjointed narrative that gives away its conclusion too early.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Too many characters, each too quickly drawn, hobble the film's momentum.
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
A bit of a mess.
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
[Gorlin] tries to bring in too many elements without laying the groundwork for them or placing them in context.
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle
The movie flounders in a way that calls too much attention to itself -- and is hurt by jarring and unbelievable plot twists.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
A surprisingly poignant coming-of-age tale about a Yeshiva student's soul-searching walk on the wild side.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Gave me a better understanding of what it's like to live in modern Israel.
Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star
A mixed bag.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
A stimulating cinematic experience in every sense.
Elias Savada, Nitrate Online
The Holy Land espouses love and sex and in the wrong, or right places, and doesn't flinch, even if the story wanders off into an occasional dramatic desert.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
The flat dialogue and cardboard characters often undercut any social points that Gorlin seems on the verge of scoring.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
An unholy mess.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
Gorlin's vignettes work only in fits and starts, and his plodding pace makes 96 minutes seem like so many hours.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
putting a human face on the same tribulations that many face in Jerusalem
Steve Schneider, Orlando Weekly
Gorlin's main agenda is to show that young Mendy hasn't at all found the respite from Judaism he perceives, but there's just as much torque to the relationship between this naïf and his hooker of choice.
Kim Morgan, Oregonian
The screenplay doesn't have enough force to take us anywhere particularly interesting.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Gorlin supposedly based this material on some of his own experiences in Israel, but it still seems overly familiar.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
Director-writer Eitan Gorlin provides flashes of the dire straits of Jerusalem life ... but fails in the end to bring them together into a relatable or sympathetic story.
Laura Kelly, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The film doesn't hit with the impact it should.
Marta Barber, Miami Herald
Fails to capture the anguish and struggles of an ultra-Orthodox Jew adapting to a more secular world.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Cast

Oren Rehany
as Mendy
Saul Stein
as Mike
Albert Houz
as Razi

Aryeh Moskuna
as The Exterminator
Tchelet Semel
as Sasha
Albert Illooze

See full cast

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