Jerusalem truly stands at the vortex of political and spiritual complexities, so it appropriately serves as the main setting for writer/director Eltan Gorlin's coming of age tale of a young yeshiva student attempting to come to grips with his religious and secular conflicts. After winning some awards in lesser known independent film festivals last year, Gorlin's The Holy Land now has a distributor and is deservedly getting screened in various arthouses. Most notable is the 2003 Independent Spirit Award nomination that Gorlin received as "someone to watch," for his highly personal look inside Jerusalem shows a humanistic and real side that you'll never see on CNN or hear about from your local clergy. As a former rabbinical student who once served as a Washington congressional aid, has widely traveled, and has lived a varied life in Israel, Gorlin hopefully has more films brewing within him. There are certainly more stories to tell.

If The Holy Land has any major holes, they lie with the fact the film is far too short a time to deal with all its subject matter. It's impossible to set a film inside 21st century Jerusalem without referencing the mind boggling conflicts, but Gorlin wisely focuses on character study. Son of a rabbi in a small town, young Menachem "Mendy" Weinbaum (Oren Reharry) longs to explore the outside world. Instead of devoting himself exclusively to the Torah, Mendy is more likely to be immersed in Herman Hesse's Siddhartha or masturbating to Israeli girlie magazines, so his teacher suggests that he visit a Tel Aviv brothel to get his secular obsessions done with. Needless to say, that doesn't work. Mendy now fantasizes about Russian prostitute Sasha (Tchelet Semel) and makes plans to see her in Jerusalem.

Thoughts of Mendy daily praying at the Western Wall and being at the historical and spiritual center of Judaism thrills his parents, but Mendy has far earthier interests in mind. From his sheltered existence, Jerusalem means freedom, and we can feel his eager joy as he arrives in the holy city. Predictably, such an idealistic and tender soul is due for a fall when relentlessly pursuing a hardened, cynical prostitute. But Mendy also has other potential mentors that have experienced more of Life's roller coaster. Chief among them is American bar owner Mike (Saul Stein), a modern day Humphrey Bogart—a former Israeli resistance fighter who now considers drunkenness his nationality. Like Rick's Cafe American, everybody comes to Mike's place—from militaristic Zionists to off duty Tel Aviv prostitutes to Arabs. Just don't get serious about politics and leave the machine guns under the bar counter.

The politics remains an unspoken undercurrent, as Gorlin's camera uses the old city as panoramic backdrop against Mendy's struggles. Just as we're pretty sure that his romantic notions towards Shasha are doomed, like Hesse's Siddhartha he will never be able to return to the refuge of the Yeshiva after experiencing the real life underbelly of Israeli life. As Mike says, Jerusalem is a one-way ticket. Each of the three main characters has been magnetically drawn towards the holy city, but none of them will find the idealized freedom that they envision. This theme could have sunk into forgettable melodrama (and almost does near the end), but the strength of its characters and the acting elevates it beyond the banal.

Each character is drawn believably, and 25-year old Rehany debuts effectively in a heartfelt role. His face is subtly expressive, allowing us to feel his frustrations, hopes, and anxieties as he carries the film on his young shoulders for most of its 96 minutes. Especially well done is his honest dismay and sorrow at Sasha's unthinkingly cruel cutting of his forelocks; despite his non-kosher exploration into ways of the flesh, he retains his internal Orthodoxy. A great follow-up scene occurs when Mendy enthusiastically talks on the phone to his parents about being in the Jewish quarter of the old city and his plans to return home for a visit. His reaction shot in the mirror when reminded of his shorn locks at that point is worth the price of the ticket.

Although Rehany clearly shines, the supporting cast all perform professionally and lend authenticity in a production that looks far more lavish than its low budget would indicate. The director achieves this by drawing his camera inside after establishing location—especially beautifully framed is a reflective time lapse rooftop shot of the Dome of the Rock. Mostly, however, Gorlin submerges us into Mendy's character, putting a human face on the same tribulations that many face in Jerusalem. In a place that superficially represents the holy center of three major religions and the focal point of the Arab-Israeli conflict, in reality it's a living city with real people that not only struggle with survival. The Holy Land represents a crucible on personal conflict for Mendy, who seeks direction for his life that we all can relate to. As such, the film marks an impressive debut for both its leading actor and director, and I'll be very interested to see their future projects.