MINYAN
★★★
OUT 7 JANUARY / CERT TBC / 118 MINS
DIRECTOR Eric Steel
CAST Samuel H. Levine, Ron Rifkin, Christopher McCann
A subtle if unfocused story of queer desire and strict religion, Minyan grapples with orthodox Judaism, gay cruising and a looming AIDS crisis in 1980s New York without fully immersing itself in any one place. Samuel H. Levine is watchable (if slightly forgettable) as 17-year-old David, a young Russian-Jewish immigrant finding himself as he joins his grandfather’s minyan (a group of ten Jewish men required for certain prayers) and learns more about his sexuality and religious identity in the process. A breathtaking clarinet score by Kathleen Tagg and David Krakauer does more storytelling than a narrative delivered in hush tones and furtive looks. Director Eric Steel frames David as an outsider often looking in, unfortunately keeping the audience at a distance too.