Simchas and Sorrows

Agnes, a secular, free-spirited artist and former Catholic school girl, must come to terms with religion in order to marry Levi, the love of her life. Shocked by a surprise pregnancy, the earnest Agnes agrees to begin converting to Judaism in an effort to be accepted by Levi's more conservative Jewish family. Learning to join the tribe and follow the herd proves no easy task for someone who has spent her whole life questioning, and then breaking, the rules. As Agnes and Levi study with the progressive and courageous Rabbi Cohen (Hari Nef), they discover all is not what it appears to be on the surface. Family secrets come to light, and Agnes and Levi are forced to grapple with life's big questions. The film explores an evolving, modern Judaism, orthodoxies and hypocrisy, sibling rivalry, modern love, mental illness, artistic inheritance, and anti-semitism. (Cinequest Festival)