Kadosh review

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Unblinking in its portrait of Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox quarter, Amos Gitaï's first fictional feature follows two sisters, Malka (Barda) and Rivka (Abecassis), whose destiny appears locked into ritualistic oppression.

Childless but in love, Rivka's 10-year marriage to her husband Meir (Hattab) is under jeopardy according to law. Meanwhile, rebellious Malka is forced into a dilemma as her love for Orthodox escapee Yussef (Ran Klauzner) is denied when she's forced to wed a Jewish fundamentalist. With the unflinching gaze of a documentarian's eye, Gitai's eavesdropping provides a steady insight into the last wheeze of a dying religion.

While the finale's tragic poetics sit badly with an otherwise naturalistic narrative, the sombre mood has a hypnotic, resonant flicker.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.