Céline Roustan
When James and Lola, a young Jewish couple, have a baby boy, tradition dictates that next on the agenda for the family is the Brit Milah (the circumcision). After arranging for a Mohel (someone trained in the practice of circumcision) to come and perform the ceremony, James finds himself in a dilemma, caught between these traditions, family expectations and his own beliefs. Writer/director Charles Wahl (Little Grey Bubbles) is back on S/W with his latest film The Mohel, a sharply written 14-minute short exploring the relationship and attachment to cultural traditions in the modern world.
While the setting of The Mohel is specific to Judaism and Jewish culture, the broader themes that Wahl touches on have universal appeal. Whether rooted in religious or cultural backgrounds, in this day and age it can be hard to hold on to traditions, especially if a feeling of disappointing the family is thrown into the mix. It can also be tricky to reconcile the idea of practicing those traditions with the very modern transactional way society functions today.
“I really wanted to tell a story centered around this ceremony”
When we asked Wahl how he came up with this idea, he confessed that the idea came from a conversation with a fellow filmmaker about their personal experiences with Judaism and was prompted by his peer to “make a film about this”. Mulling on that idea, the realization that he had never really seen anything about a Brit Milah or a Mohel on screen that accurately captured his own experience, became the igniting force behind the film. “I really wanted to tell a story centered around this ceremony that while it has funny moments, takes it seriously, and explores some very big themes”, Wahl shared with us.
While the supporting cast is impressive and the characters are fleshed out in a thoughtful manner, the film is really all about James’ inner conflict and how he’s being pulled in different directions by his mother, his wife, the Mohel and even by the responsibility of his new role as a father. From the opening scene, Wahl puts his audience in his shoes as we go through the whole experience with him, Guy Godfree’s cinematography playing a vital role in this regard. From the camera movement to the framing, the images really echo how James is seeing what is unfolding in front of him, often recreating how trapped and overwhelmed he is by events.
Daniel Maslany (center) as James, a young father feeling confused by the mixed emotions surrounding his son’s Brit Milah.
Daniel Maslany’s performance as James is incredibly compelling, not only does he make James easy to root for, his subtle portrayal is full of nuances that really takes us on the emotional journey of his character. From the joy of having a newborn, to the aforementioned inner conflict and then finally, to that last realization, his performance always feels genuine and grounds the film by lightening its tone.
The Mohel had a great festival run that started at the 2021 edition of SXSW, before being selected for Seattle, Regard, Hamptons and the Palm Springs ShortFest, where it won the Best Live-Action Short 15 Minutes and Under prize – an Academy Qualifying Award. Wahl is now working on a couple of feature projects, one “an expansion on the world featured in The Mohel” and the other, inspired by his previous short Little Grey Bubbles, “explores a relationship that develops between two people that exists exclusively online and its impact on both their lives”. The director is also working on a new short.