“If a man also lie with mankind,
as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an
abomination:
they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon
them.”
-Leviticus 20:13
When it comes to the debate of homosexuality, the above passage
from the Bible is often quoted. This is quite a strong case if
one considers the Bible to be the true word of the Almighty. For
liberalistic Christian sects of the West, the re-interpretations
of the Bible and/or open acceptance of the gay lifestyle have
made it easier for many to live the way they choose to. However,
for the gays and lesbians of the ultra-conservative Hasidic and
Orthodox Jewish faiths, the struggle for their communities’
acceptance and support has been more difficult and sometimes
non-existent. Often leading to rejection and heart-breaking
self-doubt, these men and women assess the balance between their
identities and their religion, and in the documentary “Trembling
Before G-D”, we get to see the faces (well, some are in
silhouettes to conceal their identities) and the struggles they
have to undergo in a daily basis.
In one of the film’s stories, we meet David, an Orthodox gay man
who has gone through extensive counseling and therapy in an
attempt to be “normal”. At one point in his life, he was told to
wear a rubber band around his wrist, and every time he had
impure thoughts of another man, he would snap the rubber band.
David jokingly admits that despite plucking the band several
times a day, all it got him was an aching wrist. After going
through several ordeals over the years, David then decides to
visit his rabbi, who he came out to a decade earlier and who
advised him to seek counseling for his homosexual tendencies.
Their meeting is a bittersweet reunion, and when they begin to
discuss David’s current life, it seems like they are both in the
same situation as ten years ago. The rabbi tells David that his
lifestyle is still not acceptable, and David says that no
therapy will ever change him. The rabbi quietly stares back at
him, not knowing what else to say to comfort David.
This is just one of the many regrettable tales that “Trembling
Before G-D” presents us with. The film brings out to light a
certain taboo issue that has been heatly debated for thousands
of years, yet the bottom line is, the film doesn’t really put
forth anything new to the argument. There is nothing in the film
that struck me as being unfamiliar and insightful. Despite the
many sympathetic people the film showcases, the specifics may be
different, but they are really just all the same. The middle
third could have easily been edited out and the film’s
effectiveness would not have suffered.
“Trembling Before G-D” treats its topic with respect and
judiciousness, and is tender in its narrative. We get to see
various customs and traditions of the Jewish faith, but in
regards to the debate of homosexuality, the film is quite
uninformative. “Trembling Before G-D” is gutsy in its subject
matter, but falls short of making an intellectual discernment.
