Little Jerusalem

Writer-director Karin Albou's feature debut, Little Jerusalem (La Petite Jerusalem) brings to life the working-class Paris suburb of Sarcelles, which is home to a tight-knit community of Orthodox Jewish immigrants. The story focuses on sisters Laura (a philosophy student falling in love with an exiled Algerian Muslim) and Matilde (a devout mother of four torn by her husband's infidelities). Following her characters from ancient religious rituals to contemporary situations, Albou vividly brings to life the challenges made to religious faith by secular society. With Fanny Valette, Elsa Zylberstein, Bruno Todeschini, Aurore Clement. (35mm, 96 mins.)