Hester Street
Director: Joan Micklin Silver
Writer: Joan Micklin Silver
Based on: Abraham Cahan‘s novella Yekl
Cast: Steven Keats, Carol Kane, Mel Howard, Dorrie Kavanaugh, Doris Roberts, Stephen Strimpell, Lauren Friedman
Seen on: 28.7.2024

Plot:
It’s 1896, and Jake (Steven Keats) has built himself a new life in New York, having crossed over from Russia. He is very much in love with Mamie (Dorrie Kavanaugh) and generally enjoys life. But then a message reaches him: His wife Gitl (Carol Kane) and their son are on their way to join him in America. Gitl is still a devout Jew, and has her difficulties adjusting to the more liberal way of life in New York.

Hester Street is an uneven film that is carried from here to the moon by Kane’s performance who makes up for every possible weakness. It does have some other strengths as well, but that performance is simply outstanding.

I didn’t know this film was based on a novella, but I would be curious to read it now. Especially given that it was written at the time that it and the film are set, whereas the film was made almost a hundred years later. In any case, the feeling of realism that permeates the film and the way it shows the situation of migrants is very impressive, and still echoes through migration stories today, I’m sure.

At the beginning of the film, I was afraid that we were supposed to root for Jake who pretty quickly became a – to me – unbearable character (Keats does an amazing job). Fortunately, that is not the case. With the appearance of Gitl, it becomes pretty clear where the narrative sympathies lie, and I couldn’t agree with it more. I immediately started rooting for her (and hoping for a romance with Bernstein (Mel Howard)).

That is also thanks to Kane’s simply magnificent performance, a master class in subtle command, showing a woman growing into herself, by growing out of herself. Silver’s direction here is equally commendable, and together they create the heart and soul of the film. The the film doesn’t work quite as smoothly in other regards is barely notable under all of this power.

In general, the good definitely outweighs the not-so-good here (and the not-so-good isn’t all that bad anyway), especially considering it’s Silver’s debut feature. I hope to see more of her work soon.

Summarizing: excellent.