Isaac has moved to Jerusalem from the Lower East Side in middle age, seeking meaning. He winds up connecting with a famous rabbi who opens his courtyard on a daily basis to those who seek his wisdom and spiritual advice. As Isaac helps the Rabbi tend to this frequently ragtag flock, his eczema improves. At least it does, until he meets Tamar, a flamboyant newly-religious woman seeking a religious man, and Mustafa, a disabled Palestinian custodian with a knack for finding sacred artifacts on the Temple Mount.
It almost sounds like a setup for a sketch comedy. Instead, it's a genuinely sweet, thoughtful, and believable story of love and faith. The characters are extraordinarily real, so much so that it's easy to forgive some occasional sentimentality. The view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one-sided but humane.
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