The theme of the movie ‘Félix & Meira‘ made in 2014 by the Quebecois film director Maxime Giroux may seem unusual to most of the audiences, but it is in fact one of the main themes of Jewish literature and cinema. The world of ultra-Orthodox religious Jews has its own system of strict and stricter values and rules that guide them in all areas of life, from the way they dress and eat, to family relationships and the way they interact within the community and with the surrounding world. Although politically liberated and having gained equal rights in many parts of the world since the mid-19th century, ultra-religious Jews have refused to accept religious and cultural assimilation, which they consider to be a great danger and have built around themselves and their communities invisible walls even in the most liberal countries like Canada or the United States, or perhaps, especially in these countries. Stories and films related to the relationship between religious and non-religious Jews, between Jews and non-Jews, are topics in Shalom Aleichem’s or Isaac Bashevis Singer’s books, in musicals such as ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and in many recent films or television series, mostly made in Israel, but not always, as in the case of this film.
At first glance, ‘Félix & Meira‘ could be another movie describing a romantic triangle. Meira or Malka (who means ‘queen’, the name she uses in the Jewish world) is married, perhaps in an arranged marriage, she has a little girl about a year old, and she is unhappy. Her husband belongs to one of the most strict sects of religious Judaism, and forbids her the most trivial joys, such as listening to music or showing colorful drawings to her little girl. Felix returns to the neighborhood populated by many Jews, not necessarily religious, in Montreal, to bid farewell to his dying father. They both go through personal crises, both are very lonely. Meira is fascinated by the outside world, which she probably never knew. Felix is an nonreligious Jew, disoriented by his father’s death, but perhaps also lacking solid landmarks and a purpose in life. The idyll born between the two is described with gentleness and with minimal cinematic means, blessed by the acting of the beautiful Hadas Yaron and of her partner on screen, Martin Dubreuil. The scenes in Manhattan whith Meira discovering the fascinating colors and sounds of the metropolis and the way they get closer one to the other are among the best romantic scenes I have seen lately.
Minimalism is the main quality but also the defect of the film in my opinion. The world of ultra-religious Jews is described simplistically, being reduced to interdictions and without reference to the context in which they appeared or to the values that they defend. Perhaps this is not a problem for those who know this world, but it can be very confusing for other viewers. This is after all a Canadian film with an international audience.The character of Meira is well-outlined psychologically and its development is natural, but the two men are sketched too briefly, reduced to the typological categories to which they belong (the agnostic Jew vs. the ultra-religious one). Towards the end, in a scene that brings the two men together, we understand that the husband loves and will always love Meira / Malka. Of the two love stories of Meira, perhaps this is the true one. The problem is that nothing has psychologically or cinematically prepared the spectators for this revelation. I did not like the completely open end either, I felt it was not sufficiently supported by the psychology of the characters. We can read here that the big and uncertain world is more dangerous for those who are not prepared for it, but I’m not sure that this was the intention of the author. ‘Félix & Meira‘ deserves to be seen for many of its beautiful moments, but viewers should be prepared to be somewhat confused or dissatisfied at the end.