The Chosen is an excellent film. It opens up in an inner-city playground softball field, where Reuvan (Barry Miller) gets hit in the eye by a baseball hit by Danny (Robby Benson), an Hasidic Jew. The two soon become friends and teach each other about their different worlds. It's a very realistic film, not at all overdone as some films of this genre are. There are no fancy camera techniques, and the movie centers on character development rather than spiffy editing or cinematic style. The screenplay is superb and the acting is very believable. Rod Steiger as Danny's ultra-Orthedox rabbi father and Maximilian Schell as Reuven's liberal father along with Miller and Benson are excellent. Elmer Bernstein's quiet, Jewish sounding score is also a plus. This is an enjoyable film that has a lot to say about friendship, growing up, and religous faith.
Review of The Chosen
