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Film

Religion.com

November 16, 2010 14:39

By

Jenni Frazer,

Jenni Frazer

1 min read

Religion.com is a 50 minute excursion into the mysterious life of the strictly Orthodox in Israel and, specifically, their relationship with the Internet.

It feels, however, more like 50 hours, as the documentary directors Ron Ofer and Yohai Hakak strain repetitively to persuade the viewers to warm to their two main protagonists.

Yigal Revach heads an advertising agency in Bnei Brak and to say he is a difficult person to like is an understatement. Apparently a Torah "ilui" or genius in his youth, these days Revach is king of the hustlers as he seeks a rabbinical stamp of approval for the introduction of an internet service for the Haredi community. When he's not harrying people at brainstorming sessions in his agency, Revach is filmed on increasingly bewildering expeditions to the Ukraine, where, we are told, he finds spiritual renewal at the graves of various rabbis.

In one bizarre scene Revach is shown weeping bitterly as he is draped over a tombstone, only to perk up immediately when he receives a phone call from the Shas politician Eli Yishai, engaging Revach's dark arts for his election campaign.