Ever wonder what happens to Hasids who stray from the fold? Director Kevin Asch deftly tells the story of one such lost boy, Sam Gold (played by Jesse Eisenberg), whose yearning makes him ripe for temptation. Though slow to get moving, the first act does thoroughly show the tedium and constraint of Sam’s world. The subtle scowl on Eisenberg’s face tells us that Sam won’t be able to settle for the arranged marriage and rabbinical study that his parents desire for him. His neighbor Yosef (in a great turn by Justin Bartha) sees it too and cons Sam into his first trip to Amsterdam to “transport medicine.” The naive Sam only learns he’s smuggling ecstasy as a fat envelope is pressed into his hand, thus sealing his fate. Sam is quickly pulled into this new world, his first taste of sex, drugs, money, and the dizzying glamour of power. Strangely (for such a virginal young man) Sam remains most turned on by the business itself, by excelling and being encouraged to enjoy his success. Of all that is forbidden him in his family and community perhaps this is what most lures him away.

In what seems to be a theme of the Sundance films I’ve seen this year the film shys away from glorifying the dealer lifestyle, and in the end everyone is made to pay for their mistakes (or sins?). The twist is the straightforward criticism of the Hasidic community implicit in the story. Sam has good cause to feel stifled, and when he finally breaks free he does so with the peculiar and explosive combination of anger and ignorance, the extreme rebellion, particular to refugees of faith.

Asch makes strong directorial choices to shift mood and tone between Sam’s two worlds. The cinematography nicely captures the silvery grays and blacks, the pale light, of winter in New York City. He contrasts this with the red light and pulsing music of Amsterdam and the nightclubs they haunt. Scenes in the Hasidic community have a still frame filled with quiet tension, while a freer often handheld camera follows Sam into the larger world.

With a premise that’s practically a punchline, the film tells this coming-of-age (or comeuppance) story with maturity, humor, and pathos. And for Brooklynites the chance to see Hasids curse, get high, and rock white Nikes is an added bonus.

For more info on the film see imdb