Menkes has both a deconstructionist ethos (which at times is rather reminiscent of the Nouvelle Vague) combined with an often audacious sense of The subjects are actually rather far ranging, and several productions are set in the good old United Shorts assembled in this collection by Arbelos. Which was shot in and around Jerusalem, and Dissolution, which was shot in Jaffa and is in Hebrew, there's a rather fascinatingĬurrent of spiritually wandering individuals, Jewish or not, throughout While Menkes' Jewish heritage is probably most noticeable in efforts like The Great Sadness of Her work, at least as a subliminal subtext. Out of Nazi Germany as children, but there's maybe just a slight touch of what has been termed 'intergenerational Holocaust trauma' running Those who aren't particularly fond of some of the 'artier' aspects of independent film. Nina Menkes is a name many are probably not all that familiar with, but she might be an interesting filmmaker to check out for anyone who hasĮver felt displaced or on some kind of journey toward 'self', since there's a certain mystical quality to Menkes' work that should resonate even for
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Arbelos' Cinematic Sorceress: The Films of Nina Menkes release. Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, November 5, 2023
