The Believer (2001)

A young Jewish man develops a fiercely anti-Semitic worldview. Based on the true story of a KKK member in the 1960s who was revealed to be Jewish by a New York Times reporter.

Director:

Henry Bean

Writers:

Henry Bean (screenplay), Henry Bean (story),

Stars:

Ryan Gosling, Peter Meadows, Garret Dillahunt

6 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ryan Gosling	...	Danny Balint
Peter Meadows	...	Orthodox Student
Garret Dillahunt	...	Billings
Kris Eivers	...	Carleton
Joel Garland	...	O.L.
Billy Zane	...	Curtis Zampf
Theresa Russell	...	Lina Moebius
Summer Phoenix	...	Carla Moebius
Jack Drummond	...	Old Coot
Sig Libowitz	...	Rav Zingesser
James McCaffrey	...	Young Avi (as James G. McCaffrey)
Jacob Green	...	Young Danny
Frank Winters	...	Young Stuart
Ronald Guttman	...	Danny's Father
Heather Goldenhersh	...	Linda

Storyline

"The Believer" explores a Jewish student's private journey to understand the meaning of Judaism in his life. Set in New York City, the Plot follows a morally confused young adult struggling with the conflict between his beliefs and his heritage. "The Believer" examines themes of religion, family, and self-loathing. It is a psychological examination into the forces of intolerance, both on the individual and society as a whole.

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Plot Keywords:

reporter | new york times | new york city | judaism | self loathing | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

23 August 2001 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Danny Balint

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$26,236 (USA) (17 May 2002)

Gross:

$406,035 (USA) (27 September 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuller Films, Seven Arts Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Critically acclaimed, grand-jury prize winner at Sundance Festival in January 2001, then appeared on Showtime pay-cable in March 2002, before finally being released theatrically in NYC, May 2002.

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Goofs

In the DVD version, the words "a decade" are silent in the phrase "The Thousand-Year Reich barely lasted a decade..." even though Zampf is still mouthing it.

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Quotes

Daniel Balint: Just take a look at the last three most well-known Jews - Marx, Freud, and Einstein. What have they given us? Communism, infantile sexuality, and the atom bomb.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

User Reviews

Powerful but not exploitative

When I read a description of this film, I thought it would go overboard in the violence and "shock sequences." I was relieved and impressed that it left most of the violence to the imagination. The shock value comes from other places--the content, the dialogue. This is a very thought-provoking and smart movie, not at all preachy (and it easily could have been preachy). The acting is unforced and its story does not fall into the "American History X" trap: Its main character does not become an "all race loving" good guy. The protagonist in "The Believer" is a tortured soul, and his fate (although somewhat predictable) is fitting after the events in the film. This movie is another example that cable movies occasionally surpass theatrical movies in their subject matter and execution. Very well done.