The Secrets

Directed by Avi Nesher, this modern Israeli film takes place in a world where men make the rules and unmarried members of the opposite sex can't hug, touch, or even look each other in the eyes. When she was a little girl, ultra-orthodox Jew Naomi (Ania Bukstein) wanted to become a rabbi, a goal that as an adult she knows is impossible. Naomi supports her fiancé Michael (Guri Alfi) in his dream to run a yeshiva like her father, but postpones their wedding to study scripture while mourning her recently deceased mother. At a women's seminary in remote Safed, Naomi meets Michelle (Michal Shtamler), a rebellious French-Israeli transplant. Both girls work at a soup kitchen to earn their keep, through which they are introduced to Anouk (Fanny Ardant), a French ex-convict dying of cancer. While Michelle finds her fascinating, Naomi is disturbed, especially after Michelle uncovers the details of Anouk's crime, but both women eventually agree to help Anouk undergo a series of purification (“tikkun”) rituals before she meets her maker. In the process, the women find themselves more than just spiritually drawn to each other, despite the flirtation that develops between Michelle and kletzmer player Yanki (Adir Miller). Although Anouk's S&M past seems designed simply to make her scarier, The Secrets is an intriguing and engaging film, overall, one that has garnered numerous film festival awards as well as eight Israeli Oscar nominations. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, two Hebrew-language music videos for Maya Rotman's “Tikun” and Dana Adini's “The Secrets,” and a photo gallery. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning film.] (K. Fennessy)