The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch 2018

Overview

The Awakening of Motti Wolkenbruch is a 2018 Swiss comedy-drama film directed by Michael Steiner. The story follows a young Orthodox Jewish man named Motti Wolkenbruch who reaches a significant turning point in his life. Motti faces pressure from his mother, who is determined to see him married and repeatedly presents him with potential marriage candidates. Motti finds these women unsuitable, noting that they all resemble his mother. The situation becomes more complex when Motti develops secret feelings for a non-Jewish girl, referred to as a shiksa. To challenge the expectations of his orthodox traditions, Motti begins to make personal changes, such as shaving and looking outside his community for a romantic partner. The film is based on a debut novel by Swiss author Thomas Meyer. It was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 92nd Academy Awards, though it did not receive a nomination. The cast includes Joel Basman, Noémie Schmidt, Udo Samel, and Sunnyi Melles.