Queerguru’s Robert Malcolm reviews PINK LADY a low key queer drama that’s a compelling depiction of a religious woman’s sexual awakening.

Bati and Lazer are a happily married Hasidic couple living a simple domestic life in Jerusalem. Bati’s world falls apart when she opens an unaddressed envelope containing a blackmail note and candid photographs of Lazer kissing a man. Lazer claims that the pictures have been photoshopped, but Bati is not convinced, because although having three young children together, and a close relationship, Lazer has never been interested in her sexually.

One evening, Bati arrives home to find that their flat has been burgled and that Lazer has a bloody nose. She is angry that he didn’t run after the intruders.

During a further confrontation, Lazer eventually confesses to having had an affair with a study partner from his Yeshiva, but this friend has left the school, and the romance is over between them. Meanwhile, they start to gather money together to pay the blackmailers’ demands, and he attends conversion therapy sessions with his Rabbi.

Once again, by night, the criminals, who are Hasidic men, try to break into their flat. This time Lazer chases after them, but they turn on him, call him a faggot, beat him up and leave him lying in the gutter.

This shocking incident is followed by a welcome light hearted episode. After seeing the compromising photographs, the pair’s battling mothers join forces and call out the matchmaker who brought them together. They blame her for the couple’s incompatibility and want her to find a solution to save the marriage. To the mothers’ surprise the matchmaker encourages Bati to dress and act sexily in the bedroom, because she implies, Bati is clueless and is not trying hard enough to arouse her husband.

Bati, who throughout the story acts as a kind of Pandora opening forbidden boxes, finds a girlie magazine which the Rabbi has given to Lazer and she decides to model herself on the “Pink Lady” of the publication, in a pink wig and erotic underwear. She enlists a glamorous Mizrahi friend, Natalie, to help her buy clothes and make up. Amusingly, Natalie also shows her how to lap dance and with renewed confidence Bati rents a hotel room for she and Lazer to try out some enhanced lovemaking. Unfortunately, although she has successfully transformed herself into the sexy Pink Lady, her efforts are wasted on her husband.

For forty days Bati has been praying at the Western Wall for God to cure Lazer. Lazer has also been praying daily at his Yeshiva. They can’t understand why God has made him this way. When a religion demands total control over the body, what happens when the body does not act the way it is supposed to? They are about to find out that the Lord moves in mysterious ways.

Although the subject of male homosexuality in Orthodox Jewish communities has already been covered in the excellent film, Eyes Wide Open, Pink Lady is different, in that the viewpoint exclusively belongs to the gay man’s wife.

Central to the narrative is the Mikveh, or rainwater purification bath which Orthodox women must take at the end of their menstrual cycle and before having sex with their husbands once a month, on the “Magic Night”. Bati works as a receptionist at one, and her family and friendship circles revolve around it. Considering it is a very private event it is a revelation to see the Mikveh ritual in detail on film.

With arranged weddings, and no sex before marriage, Orthodox Jewish women are very innocent and know little about sex and men’s bodies. As the film shows, even at wedding parties the sexes are kept apart. A newlywed in the film is not aware that sometimes she may have to stroke her husband’s penis to excite him and Bati is outraged when she discovers the existence of Viagra which the Rabbi has prescribed to Lazer.

Sensitively written by Mindi Ehrlich, a woman who grew up in, but left the ultra Orthodox Haredi community, we can be sure of the story’s authenticity.

Directed by Nir Bergman and with heartfelt performances by Nur Fibak as Bati and Uri Blufarb as Lazer, this low key drama is a compelling depiction of a religious woman’s sexual awakening.