The Quarrel (1991)

Canadian film which debates on an age-old topic.  God versus Man.

This film came in the Amazon Series of Intellectual films, doesn’t need a super brain to assume why its intellectual, cause it speaks about the age-old issue, god vs man, faith vs reason. This Canadian film directed by Eli Cohen reminds me of a Tamil (Regional language in India) film Anbe Sivam.  The confrontation between the believer and the agnostic, this film also brings me the memories of my college days when similar kind of interaction and quarrel between friends.

The movie starts in 1940’s, were an agnostic writer Chaime meets his long time lost  friend now a Rabbi Hersh. They were sometime wilfully separated by the Holocaust. So what will happen when they meet, it’s a "quarrel". It’s beautifully set in a Montreal park, vivid pictures and sounds. Also credit has to be given to the screenplay for making the viewers to passively get hooked to the seat with just two characters in the screen for most of the time.

This 80 min movies does have its share of fun and the wierd moments of song and dance by the long met friends. The movie is full of quotable moments, touches the nerve of someone who has been in similar situations. The philosophical pointers touched by the film is never ending as the quarrel goes on and on with the two. Most of the issues discussed in the film are left open, doesn’t give any final statement or both the character stands inside their own boundary, which leaves the viewer to choose a path of their wish.