Watch Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish For Free

Sorry, this movie sucks

Powerful

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I saw this film at a screening at Harvard University in Cambridge and I thought it was amazing. The plot of the film we all know Romeo and Juliet but this film was totally different. I am not Jewish and now very little Yiddish yet I adored this film immensely. I think you everyone of all cultures/religion will be entertained by this film.I also loved that this film was set in modern day New York with up and coming actors.I hope to see more films from Eve Annenberg! Bill Raye-Boston MA

Perhaps the smartest aspect of this film as that it subverts the expectations of modern re-tellings of Shakespeare, in that to whatever extent it takes on the source material it's almost as an afterthought. Instead writer/director Annenberg takes the culture clash and grafts it onto the Orthodox Hasidim in Brooklyn, but even then it's with a whimsical and irreverent tone. The structure is ambitious and even within the confines of a micro-budget a lot of winning material is mined. The effort is emboldened by a very strong, quirky and effective cast which combined with Ms. Annenberg's gleeful subversions transcend the limited production.

There is an argument I've heard about this film that there are too many side plots, but I found that not to be the case. I actually really appreciated the kabbalistic aspect of the plot (such as the concept of "two worlds", it's fun to speculate what happened to the other two worlds, my take is that that is reflected in the directors vision and the audiences experience of the story)The film treats most of its characters like people. The emotions are intense and believable, and the music is great. I am familiar with the world that these characters inhabit so I appreciated the film on that level, I don't know what it would look like to someone who is not Jewish, I want to compare the overall experience to John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus, but I don't know why..

I was all set for the wild experience of Shakespeare in Yiddish but maybe it was this print but the subtitles went so quickly that i lost half the film. Thank goodness I knew the plot but in my theater no one laughed and 4 people walked out. It was so disorganized also with too many side parts and distractions.The actors were terrific as they were not professional but it was the editing that went array and the titles on the Le Mans track. Would I recommend...probably not. Also the costume person was on drugs when it came to the women in the film. I do not think they expect a large audience but once you get that audience in your seat they should be able to follow the dialogue via the titles....Isn't that the easy part of making a film?