Directed by
Avi Nesher
Cast
Fanny Ardant, Ania Bukstein, Michal Shtamler
Producers
Avi Nesher, David Silber
Synopsis
THE SECRETS tells the story of two brilliant, spirited young women – Naomi and Michelle – whose encounter with a mysterious, ailing Frenchwoman forces them to question the rules by which they have lived their whole lives.
Naomi is the brilliant and pious daughter of an orthodox rabbi. When her mother dies, she is expected to marry her father's prodigy. Her father agrees to allow her a year to study at a women's religious seminary in Safed, the birthplace of the Kabala, in order to prepare herself for the sacrifices she will make as a wife. There, Naomi and her new friend Michelle befriend a ailing, mysterious older woman, Anouk, who may or may not be Jewish, and may have committed a crime of passion. Naomi devises a series of rituals to purge Anouk of her sins, but as these stretch the borders of Jewish law they must be kept secret.
As the girls journey further into the forbidden, they discover a growing desire for each other. THE SECRETS presents the complexities of a religious lifestyle in a modern environment of youth, rebellion and passion.