Yentl
PG
Why watch?
“This is a fascinating piece in the canon of gender non-conforming identities explored in mainstream cinema – Yentl’s struggle between protecting herself and indulging in romantic transgression is gripping to watch. Directed, produced, co-written by, and starring Streisand, the film is a result of a lengthy behind-the-scenes battle, and demonstrates Streisand’s tenacity, passion, and integrity as an artist whose filmmaking capabilities were underestimated due to her image as a female pop culture titan.”
Lucy Bickerton,
Independent Film Programmer and founder of Surrender Dorothy Film Club
Set in Eastern Europe at the turn of the century, Yentl Mendel (Streisand) is a woman whose dedication to learning is prohibited by Jewish custom. Desperate, and prompted by the death of her encouraging Rabbi father who studied with her in secret, Yentl pursues her precious education by disguising herself as a man to gain entry to a religious school.
Streisand directs this decades-in-the-making passion project with earnest intensity and delicate care, balancing the tragic yearning and exciting heat of transgressive possibility that arises when Yentl unexpectedly finds love. Yentl’s journey of self-liberation is greatly complicated by romantic desire and crises of identity, key moments of which are expressed in song – the most famous being the haunting and powerful ballad ‘Papa, Can You Hear Me?’.
This film was curated by Lucy Bickerton from Surrender Dorothy Film Club, and was funded by BFI Film Hub North.
Details
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