Sonia is rescued, in a way, by her brother-in-law Sender, who has rejected his brother's genuine spirituality for almost-Nietschean self-interest. In exchange for sex with her, Sender gives Sonia a job as gem appraiser, allowing her to use her intelligence and to make weekly visits to the City--the exotic world of Manhattan. In one of the shops, Sonia is attracted to Ramon, a Puerto Rican artist whose talent is also stunted by his obligations. Sender, though, would rather ruin her than let her break free, leading to a complete change of life.

Zellweger takes a difficult and complex role and manages to be convincing in it. What makes the film interesting, but difficult I think for some viewers, is that it is critical of narrow-mindedness and bigotry but also genuinely respectful of the Chassidic culture and the spiritual longings that it embodies. (I was reminded in some ways of Satyajit Ray's attitude toward Hinduism in DEVI.) Mendel could be a cartoon character, but he comes across as a true tsaddic--a saintly scholar--who lives for the spirit and not just the word of the Torah.  The problem is that ultimately he loves God more than his wife. There's also a homeless old woman who appears from time to time, suggesting that she's a messenger of heaven. That Singer-like attempt to merge the real with the fantastic does not quite work, and I think that such an attempt to give more than a one-sided view of this version of Orthodoxy will be confusing and obcure to a secular audience, let alone one that knows little of Judaism in general. But if you approach the film with an open mind, it may teach some things, even if not in yeshiva style.

Though complex, the story has many familiar elements, involving a mortal wound, a quest, a war, and the attraction of human beings for each other.  Ultimately, we learn that, as Jean Renoir said, everyone has his (or her or its) reasons, and that no one is purely good or evil in a complicated conflict of goals.  The final apocalypse, where everything threatens to blow up real good, is rather a distraction from the quieter moments in a magical forest haunted by gods. The Forest God especially is like something out of a dream. I expect that there are a number of cultural references that I am missing, but the relative complexity of a narrative that refuses to brand any individual as purely wicked is refreshing as well.