Haim-Aaron is a bright, ultra-orthodox religious scholar living in Jerusalem. His talents and devotion are envied by all. One evening, following a self-imposed fast, Haim-Aaron collapses and loses consciousness. The paramedics announce his death, but his father takes over resuscitation efforts and, beyond all expectations, Haim-Aaron comes back to life. After the accident, try as he might, Haim-Aaron remains apathetic to his studies. He feels overwhelmed by a sudden awakening of his body and suspects this is God testing him. He wonders if he should stray from the prescribed path and find a way to rekindle his faith... The title means "Rectify" in Hebrew; nevertheless the movie is called Tikkun in the English-speaking world.
Cinematography
Blinding whites and abyssal blacks—every frame a Caravaggio
Acting
Traitel's physical transformation from scholar to hunted animal
Direction
Sivan weaponizes negative space like spiritual suffocation
Director
Avishai Sivan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot entirely in Academy ratio (4:3) to evoke religious paintings and trap the viewer with the protagonist.
The title 'Tikkun' refers to Kabbalistic soul-correction; the film was banned in some Israeli ultra-Orthodox communities for its eroticized treatment of religious life.
IL
