Tikkun Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Tikkun Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 22, 2016

“Tikkun” isn’t technically a horror film, but it creates a nightmare realm where religion and sexuality collide, dissecting ideas on obedience and maturation. Writer/director Avishai Sivan has a unique vision for his third feature, launching a provocative descent into a young mind at the point of implosion. “Tikkun” is specialized moviemaking, challenging faith and sanity as a lifetime of order, religious education, and respect for family is thrown out the window when an erection and pent-up curiosity come into play.

A tightly wound religious scholar, Haim-Aaron (Ahron Traitel) is shaken to his core when a shower accident leaves him dead for a significant amount of time. Coming out of the fog, Haim-Aaron commences a journey of self-exploration, following impulses toward sex and individualism that challenge his home life and threaten to disturb his Orthodox upbringing. Sivan has plenty of repression to examine with “Tikkun,” but the picture doesn’t attack religion, it simply examines frayed ends of reality, with Haim-Aaron in a daze as he makes his way around a city, encountering temptation after sticking close to order for the first decades of his life. Working with stellar black and white cinematography by Shai Goldman, Sivan arranges a Lynchian experience of abstract imagery (including graphic nudity) and Freudian curiosity, with the frustration spilling over to Haim-Aaron’s father, who battles with nightmares featuring doomsday alligators.

Tikkun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A highly unusual looking picture, "Tikkun" arrives with an AVC encoded image (2.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Shot in high-contrast black and white, the feature offers sharp imagery that's loaded with detail, surveying set decoration and performer reaction. While pores and hairs are preserved, the viewing experience is more about stepping back and taking in the entire frame, which is available. Cinematographic balance is mostly secured, dealing with solidified blacks on occasion. Typically troublesome areas such as fog aren't an issue here, but some mild banding is detected.

Tikkun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is actually interested in silences, which maintain complete quiet, allowing more agitated track elements a chance to retain impact. Dialogue exchanges are tight and loud, delivering emotional and dramatic intent without distortion. Sound effects are crisp, while atmospherics are engaging, delivering echoed interiors and exterior position. Surrounds aren't lively, but they provide a fuller sense of locations and changes in weather.

Tikkun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (1:31, HD) is included.

Tikkun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Tikkun" is out there, and it's extremely slow, making sure viewers feel every itch along with Haim-Aaron, who embarks on a tour of sin and salvation. It's a sharply made feature, but for a very specific audience, asking viewers to show patience with the tale that might offend some. It's vivid work, but not a film that's open to a recommendation. "Tikkun" is only reserved for the most patient and curious viewers.