Sometimes a film comes along that challenges the viewer. This is the case of SHTTL, a Jewish movie that takes you to a small village in Ukraine where a heartfelt story is played out. The small town is under control of the Russian Government and the location of the Village borders on the West. Its 1941 and the commnity will be ground zero for an invasion from World War II now in progress. While watching the film keep in mind that the Soviets were in heated battles with the Germans and controlled Poland that’s adjacent to Ukraine. Pushing East toward the Russian territory would put the Shtetl in the path of the surging army. Smack dab in the center of it all is an emotional and compelling Romeo and Juliet love story.
When we begin the story we find Mendele (Moshe Lobel) returning to his Shtetl after a long stay in Kyiv. There he had been working on movies while avoiding service in the Russian military. Regretting the long period away from his childhood sweetheart Yuna (Antoine Millet), she’s his main reason to return home to marry her and bring her back with him to Kyiv. But, his nemesis Folie (Antoine Millet), who has been courting Yuna, has other plans. With the Jewish Shabbat in full swing, his father (Saul Rubinek) welcomes Mendele back along with most all of the villagers who are excited to see him, especially Yuna.
The film plays out with Mendele having to make a plan with with help of his best friend Demyan (Petro Ninovskyi) to get Yuna to flee the village. Director and co-writer Andy Walter does his best to make the film look realistic even having it play out in Yiddish with English subtitles. While it does make the movie very realistic and expressions more authentic, for the lay person it may be a chore to watch the action on the screen and pay attention to what they are saying in words that are rolling by at a fast pace. That said, after a while I found out that the actions on the screen speak louder than words.
Shttl has not been rated by the MPAA, but does contain war violence, drinking, smoking, and rude language. Look online to find a movie theater near year. If you can speak Yiddish watching the film should be compulsory 5 STARS.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Moshe Lobel, Saul Rubinek, Antoine Millet, Anisia Stasevich, Petro Ninovskyi
Directed and co-written by: Andy Walter
Genre: Drama, History
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains war violence, drinking, smoking, rude language
Running Time: 1 hr. 54 min.
Language: Yiddish
Opening Date: October 3, 2025 NYC
Distributer: Menemsha Films
Released in: Select Theaters
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
