“Divan†(2003, 77 minutes) is a nice addition to your list of “systems movies.†The documentary tells the story of Pearl Gluck, a “slipped†daughter of Hassidic parents.
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(Pearl Gluck on the divan)
“To reclaim an ancestral couch upon which esteemed rabbis slept, Pearl Gluck travels from her Hasidic community in Brooklyn to her roots in Hungary. Along the way, a colorful cast of characters gets involved – the couch exporter, her ex-communist cousin in Budapest, a pair of matchmakers, and a renegade group of formerly ultra-Orthodox Jews. Divan is a visual parable that offers the possibility of personal reinvention and cultural re-upholstery.â€
The documentary is both a story of faith and “faith formation†but also a story about how an imaginative daughter worked at healing the cut-off with her father. One subtext of the movie (intentional or not) is how religion can mediate the communal and family “togetherness†forces. Several interviewees talk about their move toward individuation from an emotional and religiously rigid system. Highly recommended.
I watched this movie twice in one week. alone and then with my 16-year-old son, who also found it fascinating.
It’s a terrific little film. The more I saw it the more family systems dynamics I identified. I grew up near Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, near Borough Park. So the New York Yiddish dialect was fun to hear again.
I agree that several viewings bring clarity. I recently purchased Cold Comfort Farm and have viewed it several times. Doing so has helped me observe the systems dynamics to which you speak. I challenge others to share additional movies that address system theory and faith formation issues. How about a “Movies” category for the blog site?
Good suggestion, Marty. Done. A new category for “movies and films” appears on the Categories menus.
O.k., folks, break out the popcorn and share your favorite movies and films related to faith, life, systems theory, education, etc.
The DVD extras in Divan also illuminate the family dynamics further.