Hester Street

An intriguing little fable, set in NYC's Jewish ghetto a century or so ago: an immigrant (Carol Kane), finds herself ill-matched to her assimilated husband (Steven Keats). Joan Micklin Silver's direction doesn't always find the right balance between comedy and drama (a major plot turn happens rather abruptly), but the flavor of the time and place come across effectively. The acting is fine: Kane got an Oscar nomination, and she's subtly effective, while Keats is smug and brash but never inhuman.

An intimate, grounded portrait of romance, rejection, and reinvention in an immigrant community. I love the verisimilitude of this movie, and how it gives a keyhole-sized view into lives usually reduced to Ellis Island photographs. Carol Kane was deservedly nominated for an Oscar, but the real trip is hearing the grandma from EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND speaking Yiddish. (Note to repertory programmers: this would pair nicely with Silver's equally wonderful CROSSING DELANCY.)

There are a lot of Hollywood films with Jewish themes or characters, even disproportionately so (for historical and social momentum reasons), but not as many films centered around Jewish people. This quaint drama in a historical setting drew me in quickly. Straightforward story; clear villain. Predictable plot, albeit in a muted manner refreshingly without shocking dramatic moments. Fav scene: "Your husband knows many women." Too bad Bernstein softens the blow of that harsh statement.

Like a lot of other well-intentioned period films, I feel that Hester Street is so concerned with reconstructing a setting that the naturalism is compromised. Also, the editing seems a tiny bit loose, which detracts from the solid acting. The initially rather square story gains some momentum in the last act.