| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Mendy
Lifesize Entertainment // Unrated // March 13, 2007
List Price: $24.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Truly potent films about man's self discovery are few and far between. Some might invoke true inspiration, yet reluctantly shy away from the life's true grit; others might display such grittiness and honesty about a situation, then fail to deliver enough heart to truly inspire. Mendy, a film by Adam Vardy, is one powerhouse of a motion picture that blows both segments out of the water by being poetic and harsh in all the right spots. Sincerity, condemnation, and spirit gush from this film like a scorching volcano's raging blood. All thanks to the impeccable performance from Ivan Sandomire, Mendy crafts deep sincerity as it delves deep into the heart of a cornered man scraping together the answers to salvation.
The Film:
Mendy (Ivan Sandomire) belonged to a stringently engulfing Jewish sect of New York. At birth, he has been molded in the image of the archetypal Hassidic man. Adorned with his god-given locks rubbing his cheeks and his darkened, baggy rabbi outfit, Mendy storms from the community in search for whatever portion of himself that has been consumed by such a lifestyle. He's partly rebelling, yet seems to have a dark, underlying force that has pushed him from the sect. Outside the sect, he's left to roam the streets of New York without much of a guiding force.
Taking refuge with Yankel, another Jewish-sect "refugee", Mendy begins a chaotic cycle towards a lifestyle in which he has no definitive bearings. Sex, drugs, dealings, and an intoxicatingly beautiful roommate named Bianca engulf Yankel's hedonistic existence. This doesn't offset Mendy, however; instead, he seems destined to thrust himself into such an atmosphere to learn about the ways of humanity. Whether this is all experimental, scholarly, or malicious to himself is indistinguishable. What is clear is that Mendy is in desperate need for a transformational awakening, and it seems that his erratic choice of locales for such a flailing can either be wildly successful or ultimately destructive.
Mendy's journey is rich with a myriad of layers that are equally compelling and enjoyable to unfold. That's an equilibrium that soul-searching films tend to fail to counterbalance. From the start, we're ushered into this riotous world through the eyes and ears of a lost innocent, like taking a tour through a battlefield. It's a battle, all right. Mendy seems to drop himself amidst this world with full intent. Strangely enough, though it's all relatively new to him, the environment adheres to his personality, as if attempting to latch onto his persona for dear life. The corrupt always seem to want to hold the innocent close, and young Mendy is voluntarily flailing about amidst its tightened grasp.
This film isn't purely about a Jewish venture into the unknown. It's about man's brisk slap in the face when his conventions are self-challenged. Sure, the Yiddish dialect and mannerisms reflect the Jewish culture. However, if such a film were to be ambiguous with the religion of such a character, then it would lose a great deal of potency. Strangely enough, growing to know and empathize with Mendy as the adherent Hassidic man he is makes the film much more personal and effective. By giving him a face and not remaining ambiguous, Mendy formulates a fiery tone and transcends most films about internal civil war. Even though he's individualized, Mendy works as a reflection of an inherent issue looming within all people – a ravenous sensation of loneliness trumped by the necessity to separate from the world to discover a true self.
Not enough praise can be given to Ivan Sandomire as the prodigal cleric. Here is a troubled soul-searcher whose multitudes of layers are both painful and enjoyable to peel away. Mendy seems to bottle up several different people at once; dark, yet radiantly pure, tough, yet easily malleable, chaste, yet surprisingly experienced. His yielding nature reflects the innate desire to mold into his environment. It takes a special kind of person, and a special kind of actor, to accomplish such a dramatically potent feat. Ivan Sandomire blows the film's potential out of the water with his splendid temperament.
Mendy's environment wouldn't be near as effective with only a shining star amidst the darkness. The entire cast, from Yankel's animalistic pleasure-seeking to Bianca's striking, radiantly aggressive tone, helps carry the radiant protagonist along his path. Even with their support, both these characters illustrate portions of Mendy's personality as well. Bianca, a black Brazilian woman, mirrors Mendy wonderfully with her developed (and developing) internal discovery and transformation. Yankel, however, seems to be the devil upon Mendy's shoulder. He looms amidst the building transformation as a reminder to exactly what Mendy could, and shouldn't transform into.
In a cinematic environment where inspirational, moving films can be exceedingly hit and miss, Mendy lances the mark with firm aggression. It's a stripped-down, dialogue-driven film that'll speak to the mind and to the heart. Sure, its reckless nature is undoubtedly not for younger viewers seeking solace and discovery. However, Mendy is an adult film made for just about any adult who has questioned their values even for a split second.
The DVD:
Mendy is presented from Lifesize Entertainment in a standard DVD keepcase with alluring, inviting artwork. Only a solid black disc with the title printed on the from is included.
The Video:
Much of Mendy's potency lies within its narrative, not within its visuals. It's a independent, personal film crafted within meager conditions. Amidst these conditions, Mendy is able to craft some thriving, natural beauty amidst its native city. Presented in anamorphic widescreen, much of the color leans upon its view of New York's pale grey ambience. When color trickles into the frame, it's a blast of radiance. This widescreen transfer presents such blasts of color remarkable well. Though it carries the weight of an independent film in its visual style, it still feels quite fine-looking. Detail is about as good as it can get, at times being a shade on the blurry side. Digital grain and noise didn't seem terribly noticeable during the transfer. At times a few digital bars were seen amidst some coloring and minor edge enhancement popped up quite a bit. Overall, however, Mendy looks quite nice.
The Audio:
Most important within Mendy's audio presentation is the clarity of dialogue. Surprisingly, even amidst rapid-fire Yiddish dialogue, everything poured through quite pleasantly. In just about every other aspect, Mendy is a quiet film. Small samples of music and very meager audio effects for assorted clubs are incorporated, but not blaringly loud. The warm, natural wind instruments and jazzy riffs of the score sounded quite pleasing, yet weren't anywhere near dominant. Presented in Dolby 2.0 audio, the audio track keeps the ever-important speech quite crisp and clear.
The Extras:
After viewing Mendy, this disc serves up quite a compelling host of extras available for dissection. Concluding such a film leaves the viewer wanting to know the motives and strengths behind the chracters and filmmakers. This disc, though served within prolonged portions, accomplishes such a thirst:
A Directoral Commentary track is included with Adam Vardy and other cast members. Throughout the track, many of the eccentricities of the film are discussed, such as capturing specific shots, casting each of the crucial characters, and maintaining the tone while adhering to a sense of realism within the film. It's a very informative track.
A very beefy (just a shade under an hour long) Interview with Co-Writer Hershey Schnitzler showcases just about every single aspect of the film. Schnitzler delves into the power behind many of the potent scenes in the film, illustrating the symbolism and how it reflects in the Hassidic community. Quite effectively and candidly, he also talks about how the viewer might empathize within certain scenes, whether they are Jewish or of any other nationality. Schnitzler's sincere and comfortable conversation leaves almost nothing unaddressed, all done with heartfelt exposition.
A Theatrical Trailer is included that doesn't showcase much to the film's powerful scenes. It's definitely a nice introduction before the film starts that won't give anything much away.
Also included are a few strung-together Music Video Performances featuring composer Jeremiah Lockwood of the film and the Sway Machinery. These videos are shot in law-grade fullscreen but are wholly enjoyable pieces to watch.
Though the extras aren't in abundance and a few interesting pieces weren't showcased (A Making of / Behind the Scenes feature or any photo galleries), the extras that are included are of such great quality that it leaves a satisfactory taste after watching.
-----
Final Thoughts: Mendy's journey into the world outside his Hassidic sect is quite compelling. Paired with Sandomire's masterful performances and a host of ruthlessly honest supporting characters, this film conveys the trek of a detatched man of God into the world of hedonistic discovery. For anyone seeking a film about true, natural awakening amidst society's grip and foreign conventions, Mendy comes very Highly Recommended.
Thomas Spurlin, Staff Reviewer -- DVDTalk Reviews | Personal Blog/Site
The Film:
Mendy (Ivan Sandomire) belonged to a stringently engulfing Jewish sect of New York. At birth, he has been molded in the image of the archetypal Hassidic man. Adorned with his god-given locks rubbing his cheeks and his darkened, baggy rabbi outfit, Mendy storms from the community in search for whatever portion of himself that has been consumed by such a lifestyle. He's partly rebelling, yet seems to have a dark, underlying force that has pushed him from the sect. Outside the sect, he's left to roam the streets of New York without much of a guiding force.
Taking refuge with Yankel, another Jewish-sect "refugee", Mendy begins a chaotic cycle towards a lifestyle in which he has no definitive bearings. Sex, drugs, dealings, and an intoxicatingly beautiful roommate named Bianca engulf Yankel's hedonistic existence. This doesn't offset Mendy, however; instead, he seems destined to thrust himself into such an atmosphere to learn about the ways of humanity. Whether this is all experimental, scholarly, or malicious to himself is indistinguishable. What is clear is that Mendy is in desperate need for a transformational awakening, and it seems that his erratic choice of locales for such a flailing can either be wildly successful or ultimately destructive.
Mendy's journey is rich with a myriad of layers that are equally compelling and enjoyable to unfold. That's an equilibrium that soul-searching films tend to fail to counterbalance. From the start, we're ushered into this riotous world through the eyes and ears of a lost innocent, like taking a tour through a battlefield. It's a battle, all right. Mendy seems to drop himself amidst this world with full intent. Strangely enough, though it's all relatively new to him, the environment adheres to his personality, as if attempting to latch onto his persona for dear life. The corrupt always seem to want to hold the innocent close, and young Mendy is voluntarily flailing about amidst its tightened grasp.
This film isn't purely about a Jewish venture into the unknown. It's about man's brisk slap in the face when his conventions are self-challenged. Sure, the Yiddish dialect and mannerisms reflect the Jewish culture. However, if such a film were to be ambiguous with the religion of such a character, then it would lose a great deal of potency. Strangely enough, growing to know and empathize with Mendy as the adherent Hassidic man he is makes the film much more personal and effective. By giving him a face and not remaining ambiguous, Mendy formulates a fiery tone and transcends most films about internal civil war. Even though he's individualized, Mendy works as a reflection of an inherent issue looming within all people – a ravenous sensation of loneliness trumped by the necessity to separate from the world to discover a true self.
Not enough praise can be given to Ivan Sandomire as the prodigal cleric. Here is a troubled soul-searcher whose multitudes of layers are both painful and enjoyable to peel away. Mendy seems to bottle up several different people at once; dark, yet radiantly pure, tough, yet easily malleable, chaste, yet surprisingly experienced. His yielding nature reflects the innate desire to mold into his environment. It takes a special kind of person, and a special kind of actor, to accomplish such a dramatically potent feat. Ivan Sandomire blows the film's potential out of the water with his splendid temperament.
Mendy's environment wouldn't be near as effective with only a shining star amidst the darkness. The entire cast, from Yankel's animalistic pleasure-seeking to Bianca's striking, radiantly aggressive tone, helps carry the radiant protagonist along his path. Even with their support, both these characters illustrate portions of Mendy's personality as well. Bianca, a black Brazilian woman, mirrors Mendy wonderfully with her developed (and developing) internal discovery and transformation. Yankel, however, seems to be the devil upon Mendy's shoulder. He looms amidst the building transformation as a reminder to exactly what Mendy could, and shouldn't transform into.
In a cinematic environment where inspirational, moving films can be exceedingly hit and miss, Mendy lances the mark with firm aggression. It's a stripped-down, dialogue-driven film that'll speak to the mind and to the heart. Sure, its reckless nature is undoubtedly not for younger viewers seeking solace and discovery. However, Mendy is an adult film made for just about any adult who has questioned their values even for a split second.
The DVD:
Mendy is presented from Lifesize Entertainment in a standard DVD keepcase with alluring, inviting artwork. Only a solid black disc with the title printed on the from is included.
The Video:
Much of Mendy's potency lies within its narrative, not within its visuals. It's a independent, personal film crafted within meager conditions. Amidst these conditions, Mendy is able to craft some thriving, natural beauty amidst its native city. Presented in anamorphic widescreen, much of the color leans upon its view of New York's pale grey ambience. When color trickles into the frame, it's a blast of radiance. This widescreen transfer presents such blasts of color remarkable well. Though it carries the weight of an independent film in its visual style, it still feels quite fine-looking. Detail is about as good as it can get, at times being a shade on the blurry side. Digital grain and noise didn't seem terribly noticeable during the transfer. At times a few digital bars were seen amidst some coloring and minor edge enhancement popped up quite a bit. Overall, however, Mendy looks quite nice.
The Audio:
Most important within Mendy's audio presentation is the clarity of dialogue. Surprisingly, even amidst rapid-fire Yiddish dialogue, everything poured through quite pleasantly. In just about every other aspect, Mendy is a quiet film. Small samples of music and very meager audio effects for assorted clubs are incorporated, but not blaringly loud. The warm, natural wind instruments and jazzy riffs of the score sounded quite pleasing, yet weren't anywhere near dominant. Presented in Dolby 2.0 audio, the audio track keeps the ever-important speech quite crisp and clear.
The Extras:
After viewing Mendy, this disc serves up quite a compelling host of extras available for dissection. Concluding such a film leaves the viewer wanting to know the motives and strengths behind the chracters and filmmakers. This disc, though served within prolonged portions, accomplishes such a thirst:
A Directoral Commentary track is included with Adam Vardy and other cast members. Throughout the track, many of the eccentricities of the film are discussed, such as capturing specific shots, casting each of the crucial characters, and maintaining the tone while adhering to a sense of realism within the film. It's a very informative track.
A very beefy (just a shade under an hour long) Interview with Co-Writer Hershey Schnitzler showcases just about every single aspect of the film. Schnitzler delves into the power behind many of the potent scenes in the film, illustrating the symbolism and how it reflects in the Hassidic community. Quite effectively and candidly, he also talks about how the viewer might empathize within certain scenes, whether they are Jewish or of any other nationality. Schnitzler's sincere and comfortable conversation leaves almost nothing unaddressed, all done with heartfelt exposition.
A Theatrical Trailer is included that doesn't showcase much to the film's powerful scenes. It's definitely a nice introduction before the film starts that won't give anything much away.
Also included are a few strung-together Music Video Performances featuring composer Jeremiah Lockwood of the film and the Sway Machinery. These videos are shot in law-grade fullscreen but are wholly enjoyable pieces to watch.
Though the extras aren't in abundance and a few interesting pieces weren't showcased (A Making of / Behind the Scenes feature or any photo galleries), the extras that are included are of such great quality that it leaves a satisfactory taste after watching.
-----
Final Thoughts: Mendy's journey into the world outside his Hassidic sect is quite compelling. Paired with Sandomire's masterful performances and a host of ruthlessly honest supporting characters, this film conveys the trek of a detatched man of God into the world of hedonistic discovery. For anyone seeking a film about true, natural awakening amidst society's grip and foreign conventions, Mendy comes very Highly Recommended.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||