Trembling Before G-d
New Yorker Films | Release Date: October 24, 2001 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
6
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Buy on

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
New Times (L.A.)David Ehrenstein
Deeply moving and exceptionally gracious piece of documentary filmmaking. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
The film seems to resonate even for people who aren't Jewish or gay, as there are so many people touched by homosexuality and religion. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
Remarkable exploration of sexuality and the Jewish faith. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
This is a brave, groundbreaking film. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
DuBowski has cast admirably far and wide for his interviews, giving the work global scope. In some instances, DuBowski is pretty clearly a proactive documentarian, inspiring some of his interviewees to dare to take steps that are risky and revealing. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Director Sandi Simcha DuBowski latches on to a provocative subject and invests it with a compelling tenderness. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneLoren King
The rigidity of most of the rabbis interviewed in the film is balanced by the presence of openly gay Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg, who offers a more liberal, but no less scholarly, interpretation of the Torah. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
While the compiled testimony is strong, some larger context is missing. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
An unexpectedly moving family portrait of cousins we didn't know we had. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
It's that dilemma -- a commitment to Orthodox life, the refusal to deny one's sexuality and the fear of expulsion once that sexuality is revealed -- that director Sandi Simcha DuBowski illustrates so powerfully. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeLoren King
Examines this dilemma with compassion and sensitivity. Read full review
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Short but emotionally effective movie. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJessica Winter
Though angry and sorrowful, Trembling Before G-d, beginning with the title, is above all a work of reverence. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
A provocative documentary that shines light on a little-explored dimension of the international debate regarding homosexuality and religion: that of gays and lesbians who also wish to belong to the Orthodox and Hassidic Jewish communities. Read full review
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
By the end of Trembling Before G_d, you desperately wish that at least some of DuBowski's subjects would see the light. Read full review
60
VarietyDennis Harvey
While seemingly insoluble divide between personal identity and collective belief lends the documentary an intense focus, it's also a narrow one. Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
DuBowski focuses on religious faith as much as sexual preference, which may be the most interesting aspect of the film. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Dubowski's movie is an act of hope that the basic human needs of the gay Orthodox will someday be reconciled with their faith. Read full review
50
Film ThreatAnthony Miele
Obviously the director has her point of view on the subject and the film is thusly slanted, but this bias, while good for the cause, may not be best suited for thorough documentary filmmaking. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Strangely unengaging. Read full review
38
New York PostJonathan Foreman
It's unfortunate that the people DuBowski profiles tend to be self-indulgent or otherwise unappealing. It's still more unfortunate that the film focuses more on relatively easy issues of acceptance. Read full review
More From This Movie

66 Critic Reviews

7.2 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL