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Sabbath Queen

Play trailer Poster for Sabbath Queen Now Playing 1h 45m Documentary Animation LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 9 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
SABBATH QUEEN, a feature documentary filmed over 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie's epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul--an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. SABBATH QUEEN joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace, ceasefire, and an end to the Occupation in Israel/Palestine. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult rapidly changing 21st century.
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Critics Reviews

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Elisabeth Vincentelli New York Times But we also watch [Lau-Lavie] talk about many events, like becoming a father or cofounding the aforementioned experimental Lab/Shul initiative, while he is still in the middle of experiencing them, rather than speaking with the benefit of hindsight. Nov 21, 2024 Full Review Ryan Lattanzio indieWire Taking on multiple decades of the man’s life means this film loses its way sometimes amid a scattered approach, but Sabbath Queen shrewdly asks hard questions about what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century. Rated: B Jun 17, 2024 Full Review Dennis Harvey Variety This fast-paced, well-shot doc does place its finger on the quickening pulse of an ever-wider gap between liberalizing Western social values and the Orthodox sphere that believes they are antithetical to Judaism. Jun 11, 2024 Full Review Steve Erickson Gay City News “Sabbath Queen” reflects the two different interpretations of Judaism represented by Amichai and his brother through its editing. Nov 21, 2024 Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru Provocative and eye-opening, but overstuffed and unfocused. Nov 18, 2024 Full Review Abe Friedtanzer Awards Buzz Though some may not agree with all of his opinions or the way he practices his religion, this documentary makes it impossible to deny his startlingly authentic spirituality. Rated: 8/10 Jul 27, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Chaim L A stunningly emotional and gorgeous film about a beautiful human. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/27/24 Full Review Fredi T From a visual perspective, the scenes in the film are like a series of exquisite paintings, vividly presenting specific cultural settings and character images. The use of colors is highly inventive, with rich and textured hues interwoven with each other, creating a mysterious and solemn atmosphere. Whether it is the delicate textures of ancient buildings or the magnificent adornments on the characters' costumes, they are all depicted in meticulous detail, as if transporting the audience to a distant and real time and space. For example, when depicting the scenes of religious ceremonies, the flickering candlelight, the exquisite religious utensils, and the characters dressed in traditional costumes, under the ingenious combination of light and shadow, present a sacred and solemn aesthetic sense, which cannot help but move the audience. I usually use these two sites for more free movies and short dramas.If you have a better website, please recommend it to me. Thank you https://omnishort.com/？utm_source=rottentomatoes https://nightgod.tv/？utm_source=rottentomatoes Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/22/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis SABBATH QUEEN, a feature documentary filmed over 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie's epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul--an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. SABBATH QUEEN joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace, ceasefire, and an end to the Occupation in Israel/Palestine. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult rapidly changing 21st century.
Director
Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Producer
Sandi Simcha DuBowski
Screenwriter
Francisco Bello, Sandi Simcha DuBowski, Jeremy Stulberg, Sandi Simcha DuBowski, Jeremy Stulberg
Distributor
Roco Films
Production Co
Simcha Leib Productions
Genre
Documentary, Animation, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 22, 2024, Limited
Runtime
1h 45m