Inspired loosely by real events, Weinstein's film tells of Menashe (Menashe Lustig), a schlumpy thirtysomething widower who can't find peace either at his blue-collar supermarket job or in his personal life, where his brother-in-law (with the approval of the rabbi) has taken custody of Menashe's pre-adolescent son. As they constantly tell him, a boy cannot be raised by a single father, and certainly not an underachieving one.
But though resisting remarriage for its own sake, Menashe deeply wishes to live and bond with his son — a goal that leads to a series of sweet, sometimes funny but often heartbreaking turns. “Menashe” is proof of that arts adage that one can achieve universality through specificity: While the Hasidic world that Weinstein portrays is arcane and exotic, the sentiments are instantly recognizable.
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