Menashe Provides A Thoughtful And Charming Character Study

The tale of the titular lead character of Menashe (played by Menashe Lustig) does not begin with a bang. We do not see the tragic circumstances that led to the death of Menashe's wife, rather, we pick up a short period of time after this event has occurred and follow Menashe as he attempts to pick up the pieces of his life and raise his son, Rieven (Ruben Niborski), as best he can. Menashe, raised as a Hasidic Jewish individual, finds the traditions of this religion bumping into his plans to raise his son, as elders in his community, as well as his son's uncle Eizik (Yoel Weisshaus), believe Rieven should be raised in a more traditional household with two parents instead of having just one guardian whose barely getting by as it is.

This movie about Menashe follows the character trying to hold onto his son and keep his life in order in what feels like a task akin to carrying too many delicate plates and glasses in one's arms; you've got a bunch of priceless items in your hands and one bad move will send everything crashing down. That's a lot of tension for one man to handle, and while it wears on Menashe, this motion picture all about his turmoil is an intimate affair that keeps its scope small. This is a casual affair meant to follow the everyday life of a troubled single dad while also having Menashe's day-to-day activities allow him (and frequently his son as well) to experience assorted customs and cultures of Hasidic Judaism. 

Keeping its ambitions this restrained means Menashe does come off as slight as a motion picture but it's also a movie that certainly succeeds at the goals it sets out for itself. Much of that comes from how well-handled the tale of Menashe, whose constant string of bad luck makes him like an adult version of Charlie Brown, grappling with being a single father is. Troubled father/son relationships are a dime-a-dozen in American indie cinema but there's a sense of authenticity in the realistically complicated father/son relationship that helps make it an engaging story to watch unfold. It was no surprise for me when I found out this particular subplot was based in part on the real life of Menashe Lustig himself given just how effective it is in evoking a sense of reality.

The actors also keep the project nicely engaging and that's pretty impressive given how the majority of the cast, including our lead actor, are making their acting debuts here. Menashe Lustig's lead performance is uniformly well-done but I was especially taken aback by how he organically portrays Menashe as displaying traits of both being a good father (such as making humorous animal noises to his son's delight) and also being neglectful (like when Menashe gets too intoxicated whilst singing with his friends) to his offspring. Menashe Lustig really makes his character feel like a realistic portrait of a struggling father and there's a similar level of authenticity sprinkled throughout the supporting performances that help Menashe, as a movie, feel like it's been cut straight out of reality.

It's also nice that the screenplay (credited to three writers including the project's director, Joshua Z. Weinstein) is able to frequently explore Hasidic Judaism as a culture full of actual people that helps unearth new parts of our protagonist, a sharp contrast to how it (and other strains of Judaism) are treated, if they're recognized at all, in typical American cinema. As said earlier, Menashe isn't hugely substantive or life-altering in its quality but that's just fine since it's aiming to just be a low-key character study that offers up the chance to explore both Menashe as a character and Hasidic Judaism as a culture. On those fronts, it very much succeeds!