Ushpiznie Before: Movie Analysis

I have never heard of the movie Ushpizin before. So when I saw this film in the list, I decided to give it a try. And I absolutely haven’t regretted choosing it, since it turned out to be one of the most inspirational movies I’ve seen recently.
What catches your attention when you start watching it are the subtitles, since the movie is Israeli, and all the dialogs and conversations throughout the film are being lead in Hebrew. Even though, some people find the subtitles distracting, I really liked the fact that it was in Hebrew, since all the characters live in Jerusalem, and the movie’s main theme is definitely faith (in the context of Judaism) and believing in God’s ability to create miracles in our lives. So, the fact that the movie was not in English made it feel more authentic, and it also helped me to feel the atmosphere of Israel better.
The protagonists are an Orthodox Jewish couple, who are really religious, have a true faith in God, but, still childless, unfortunately, since giving a birth to a son was their main wish.

All the scenes from the movie are happening right before and in the middle of the celebration of one of the biggest Jewish holidays, called Sukkot.

One of the main elements of this holiday is the construction of a symbolic hut for your guest to come visit you in memory of the huts Jewish used to live in during the time they lived in Egypt. The couple didn’t have enough money to celebrate at first, since the stipend Moshe was supposed to get was not going to come. But after multiple prayers for a miracle and due to their true faith and belief in God’s help, He sent them the money they randomly received as a charity

donation.
Later on, two of the “old friends” from Mosha’s not as moral past come visit them. It turned out that they escaped from a prison, which was the fact Mosha’s wife wasn’t told for obvious reasons. After she finds out about it and the friend’s extreme misbehavior, which led to the police coming, Mali (Mosha’s spouse) leaves him. After a couple of days struggling without each other, she comes back with the news that she is pregnant, which makes a couple’s old and the most cherished dream comes true.
From the religious point of view, this movie shows one of the main concepts of Judaism and most world religions: even though you may be experiencing hard times, through true faith, at the end comes a miracle. Also. This movie taught me a lot about Judaism. I learned about the holiday called Sukkot and the four species required for the holiday observance (including citron, that was shown in the movie several times). Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, because it taught me a lot about Judaism, true faith, and, most importantly, the miracles that can happen to one if he/she sincerely believes in God.