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Jeremy Borison’s ‘Unspoken’ screens Sunday in Pittsfield

Author-activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin will lead a post-screening conversation.

An excellent drama called “Unspoken” says a lot in 91 riveting minutes. First and foremost, it tells me writer and director Jeremy Borison is a filmmaker to watch.

Courtesy of the filmmakers.

I saw “Unspoken” ahead of its local screening Sunday, February 2, at 2 p.m., as part of Temple Anshe Amunim’s Community Film Series. If you are looking for a compelling drama, this is a solid choice. Indeed, “Unspoken” won the award for best narrative film at last year’s Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival.

Starring Charlie Korman as Noam Stein, the story begins with a scene reminiscent of “Six Feet Under,” one of my favorite TV shows: Multiple people are shown close-up from the knees down emptying a shovel of dirt into the ground.

From this important visual cue about what we bury, “Unspoken” proceeds to paint a picture of our decedent, Noam’s grandfather, known as Opa. Key to the entire plot is that he was a Holocaust survivor.

Being a full-fledged drama, Noam’s loss is just one of several overlapping stories that unfold simultaneously. His sister’s upcoming wedding is imminent, as well as a specific school assignment that will push Noam to discover who he truly is.

Before any of this happens though, Opa’s survivors look for his will. While rifling through his grandfather’s personal effects, Noam opens a box containing a love note and a ring. Grabbing this from her son’s hands, Noam’s mother (Katherine Kamhi) dismisses his questions about the meaning of the box’s contents.

Meanwhile, Noam’s academic life is full of teen spirit, the angsty kind involving young love and awkward social situations. Noam attends a co-ed Modern Orthodox Jewish day school. He appears to be smart, popular, and talented.

When a teacher assigns a project about the Holocaust, Noam is unsure what angle he will pursue. But two key influences quickly point him in a certain direction.

The first factor relates to the mysterious yet personal keepsake items his late grandfather guarded for a lifetime. Noam secretly looks through the box again and ultimately discloses the family mystery to his handsome classmate Jonah (Michael Zapesotsky).

At the same time, several of Noam’s friends pressure him about dating doe-eyed Miriam (Liz Richman). He resists their peer pressure as long as possible. When his mother piles on, too, Noam finally asks Miriam out.

Jonah steers Noam in helpful ways toward identifying the love letter writer who penned the pre-Holocaust note to Opa. Soon Noam and Jonah hatch a plan to track down this man in person, but not before raising eyebrows among Noam’s family and friends.

Moreover, the fact that Jonah and Noam are working on their school project together is one thing. When others realize their focus is on homosexuality during the Holocaust, unspoken beliefs enter the chat.

Borison’s script is quite good. His story also resonates personally with me. Of course, a co-ed Modern Orthodox yeshiva is not the same thing as an all-girls Catholic high school, but apparently neither embraces queer students.

I knew little about homosexuality as an adolescent; however, I suspected I might be “that way.” Still, I dated boys. I also peppered my mother with arguments about marriage inequality years before gay marriage became a real possibility.

What Noam discovers about his grandfather and himself reminds me that we do live in personal and historical time. The persecution and slaughter of Jews, gay people, people living with disabilities, and others by a murderous Catholic in Nazi Germany, well, I didn’t learn about this in high school, either.

On the other hand, the number of Holocaust survivors is dwindling fast. As a cinephile constantly drawn to stories about disappearing rituals, lost people, vanishing structures, and the passage of time, I applaud “Unspoken” for its unique story and delicate blend of joyful family occasions with deeply felt personal struggles.

“A Real Pain” this is not, though the parallels are there. Letty Cottin Pogrebin leads the post-film convo on Sunday.

Don’t miss “Unspoken.” For $10 tickets, visit Temple Anshe Amunim’s website or call (413) 442-5910.

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