THE QUARREL

Set in 1948 Montreal, THE QUARREL details the resolution of an old conflict between two old friends. Chaim is a writer who has abandoned his Jewish faith. Hersh is a rabbi who has started a Yeshiva in Montreal. Both are survivors of the Holocaust, and they nurse the wounds of both the Holocaust and of the fight they had the night Chaim left Yeshiva for a life of worldly “freedom.” As the two men walk and talk, the joy of discovery gives way to old bitterness and unresolved conflicts. Chaim and Hersh enter into a passionate debate on the justice of God, which yields many challenging and profound observations. Ultimately neither man budges from his position, but still they find a moment where they can be united, dancing and singing together an old song from their Yeshiva days, at peace with the past.@@@THE QUARREL consists of Chaim and Hersh’s arguing and reminiscing. Those who see it are in for a rare treat. THE QUARREL is a masterful film, with brilliant performances. Taking the mystery of the justice of God and the nature of faith and putting them in a powerfully human context, THE QUARREL achieves an emotional and philosophical depth that most movies fail to achieve.