Finally, a movie you can watch with your Hassidic friend. Ushpizin ("Guests") is a look into a world rarely seen by “Gentiles,” as they call them. Apparently, central to their beliefs is a loyalty and devotion to God. All their joys, all their sorrows, can be attributed to God’s good graces. When we meet our two heroes, Rabbi Moshe Bellanga (Shuli Rand) and his wife Malli (Michal Bat-Sheva Rand), they are five years married, broke, and aching for a baby boy. So, to solve their problems, they pray. And pray. And pray. Until someone leaves one thousand dollars at their doorstep. The money is used to purchase necessary items for a religious harvest holiday called Succoth, including a hundred dollar lemon. One hundred dollars for a lemon? Well, that’s the type of insight into religion this film is good for. At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, they also build a “small wooden hut”, where they will reside for the week of Succoth. While not too much time is spent explaining the history of such a ritual, it is just good to know that this sort of thing happens.

When Moshe is visited by two criminals looking for shelter, Moshe and his wife believe these Ushpizin to be good luck for the upcoming year. The problem is that these guys have no respect for Moshe or his faith. And they have awful manners. But since they were sent by God, Moshe and Malli continue being gracious hosts, thinking they will be rewarded while the viewer watches two decent, God-fearing individuals be exploited night after night.

Rand & Rand are both very charismatic actors. And it is emotionally compelling to watch two moral people be raped for their goods by two immoral people, while trying to maintain some dignity. There are many moments of humor, all of a clever, Jewish nature. One clever joke goes something like: “God wasn’t testing us, he was punishing us.” Funny, right? Out of context, it is less funny, and less clever, but rest assured, it’s funny. You keep waiting to see what the Ushpizin will do to push Moshe, Malli, and the rest of their tight knit Orthodox Jewish community over the edge. Naturally, only one thing would accomplish that and that is disrespecting God. For this film is really about faith. Since for the truly Orthodox, God is all there is. The individual is nothing, as Moshe explains to his guests. And for the most part, Ushpizin manages to avoid being preachy for a film about a Rabbi and his prayer loving wife. Outside of the happy sugar-coated “Gentile” ending, as I call it, the film is quintessential Jewish cinema. Add it to your Jewish history DVD collection, next to Fiddler and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

-Nikita Burdein