Redemption Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Redemption Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 21, 2020

For anyone struggling to keep the Ten Commandments, take heart: religious Jews have 613 Commandments to keep, and some might understandably feel that even keeping track of that many rules might be a challenge. Redemption is about a Jewish man named Menachem (Moshe Folkenflik) who, like many Jews, had a reawakening of his faith and tried to become more observant. The results weren’t exactly what he had hoped for, and Menachem finds himself ensconced in middle age without a religious “north star”, and with the added traumas of being a widower with a perhaps mortally sick little girl named Geula (Emily Granin). It turns out that back in his non-observant days, Menachem was the front man of a pretty popular Israeli band, and when a potentially miraculous but extremely expensive cure for his daughter’s cancer is found, Menachem decides the easiest way for him to raise the funds for her care is to reunite the band.

Just from that brief plot summary, it may be apparent that Redemption has a lot of emotional territory to cover, but there are other elements at play as well, including long simmering frictions between the former band members, not to mention Menachem's halting attempts to find a new wife, or at least girlfriend. The film is perhaps too relentlessly dour to be "enjoyable" in the traditional sense, but it gives a rather arresting account of one man's attempts to not just help his sick daughter, but to rediscover his faith in the process. The film offers several really moving performances, and some of the musical interludes are quite energetic.

Redemption Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Redemption is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Menemsha Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. This is another film of relatively recent vintage where I haven't been able to track down much if any technical data on the shoot, though a Jerusalem Post article I found about the film featuring an interview with co-director and cinematographer Boaz Yehonatan Yaacov has a picture of Yaacov next to a RED camera, for what that's worth. This is an appealing looking transfer, though the film is shot in a handheld, quasi-verité style that can occasionally mask fine detail levels due to "jiggly cam" and the resultant unstable framings. The palette is pretty tamped down throughout the presentation, but looks accurate. Some of the outdoor material pops considerably better than some of the dimly lit interior scenes, notably a lot of the hospital material. Things can occasionally look a little noisy in some of the darker moments (see screenshot 6).

Redemption Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Redemption features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 mixes in the original Hebrew, with optional English subtitles available. The film's musical elements provide the most noticeable examples of surround activity, and some of the raucous parties the band plays (they do a number of weddings) have really solid engagement of the side and rear channels. Background ambient environmental sounds can be somewhat more subtle, but also help to establish spatial relationships in non-musical moments. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation.

Redemption Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers includes Redemption (1080p; 1:56) along with trailers for other releases from Menemsha Films.

Redemption Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Redemption becomes increasingly emotional as it proceeds, but it can also be a bit distant feeling at times due to the fact that Menachem is not always the most expressive character. The film has a really interesting context and it manages to juggle rather disparate plot elements with surprising facility. Performances are generally excellent as well. Technical merits (especially audio) are generally solid, and Redemption comes Recommended>