November 20, 2006
At the DC Jewish Film Festival
Also screening at the DC Jewish Film Festival is Be Fruitful and Multiply:
For ultra-orthodox women there is no higher commandment than the biblical imperative to “be fruitful and multiply.” In many instances this results in families with 10, 12 or even 16 children—as is the case of one Brooklyn mother profiled in this probing documentary. What must it be like to spend most of your married life either pregnant or nursing? Director Shosh Shlam presents us with a pair of women who revel in their roles as head of their large broods. On the other hand, Shlam also presents two ultra-orthodox women who decided to limit their family size. Yentl, who appears in the film without her husband’s knowledge, goes so far as to assert that many of these perpetually-pregnant women are not as happy as they claim, but caught up in the peer pressure to produce large families. With an even-handedness that gives voice to both sides of the debate, Be Fruitful and Multiply provokes a fascinating discussion of the role of the ultra-orthodox woman.
It's like Trembling Before God, only for balabustas. There's a panel discussion afterwards that looks to be incredibly well-rounded.
It's playing the same night as The Rav flick. Who's up for a road trip?
Comments
What's funny is that the actual commandment is on the men, not the women.
Posted by: aishel at November 20, 2006 9:18 AMFor those of us who can't go to film festivals, how can we get both of these movies for the future?
Posted by: SephardiLady at November 23, 2006 11:18 PMEven if the commandment was on women, I take issue for the statement "no higher commandment than the biblical imperative to “be fruitful and multiply.”
Who decided that in their perspective this is the highest commandment??
