In “Unspoken,” director and producer Jeremy Borison tells the story of Noam (Charlie Korman), a closeted teenager growing up in a modern Orthodox community. After his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, dies, Noam finds a love letter and a photograph of his grandfather, Heinrich, with a man, sitting on the grass in Germany before the war. Suspecting the two were lovers, Noam sets out to uncover the truth about the mysterious man in the photo. Meanwhile, we witness Noam’s growing crush on his classmate Jonah (Michael Zapesotsky). He keeps stealing glances at him, and you can almost hear his thoughts: Is he into me as well?
The opportunity to get closer to Jonah arises during a class discussion about the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Jonah asks why they aren’t also learning about the other groups who were murdered, including gay men. The two begin collaborating on a class project about these persecuted gay men, and as they spend more time together, Noam confides in Jonah about what he discovered regarding his grandfather. Together, they decide to track down the man from the photograph and uncover the truth about Heinrich’s past.
This is Borison’s directorial debut and he does a beautiful job illustrating how difficult it is to be gay within a religious community. Borison knows the subject matter personally — he was once a closeted teenager in an Orthodox community himself. “I was 19 when I came out. I knew I was gay in high school, but I waited until I went to college because I knew I needed to sort of get out of my community in order to find that space and feel comfortable to do so,” he said.
“I think a lot of the time when people hear from LGBT members of their community or formerly part of their community, those people, myself included, are only comfortable speaking once you’ve fully come out and fully accepted who you are. For me personally, when I was a closeted teenager I was not comfortable talking about it at all, so nobody heard from me.”
“I think a lot of people who don’t have that support often don’t necessarily remain in the Orthodox community but also don’t feel a sense of safety or the kind of love they need in their lives and in their communities.“
Borison told The Journal that his family and friends were very supportive, but he knows that is not the case for many young gay people, especially in religious communities, whether Jewish or Christian. “I think a lot of people who don’t have that support often don’t necessarily remain in the Orthodox community but also don’t feel a sense of safety or the kind of love they need in their lives and in their communities. I feel very grateful that I have a family to support me so that I can go and speak on behalf of people who don’t necessarily feel comfortable doing that,” he said.
After graduating from the University of Michigan, where he studied film, Borison produced a few short films, so directing his first feature — while also writing and producing it — was quite a challenge. To fund the project, he launched a Kickstarter campaign and, within about a week, raised $50,000.
“It went viral in an amazing way and spread throughout the Jewish community and also Orthodox community,” he said.
Eventually, he raised a total of $300,000, which is considered modest for a full-length feature film, but it doesn’t feel that way when watching the final result. The acting across the cast is impressive. Rita Zohar, who portrays Mrs. Helfgott, a Holocaust survivor and friend of Noam’s family, is herself a Holocaust survivor. Korman, 21, who previously had guest roles on series such as “Barry” and “Hacks,” submitted himself through a casting website. Going from small parts to a leading role in a feature film is no small task, but Korman, a student at USC, delivers a compelling performance. “We spent about seven months casting because it was really important for us not only to find really good actors but to find good actors who looked their age and understood the parts,” Borison said. “All of the Jewish characters were played by Jewish actors. When Charlie showed up we knew immediately that he’s Noam. He just conveyed so much without speaking, which is really what Noam’s role is, just showing all the internal struggle.”
The film has been screened at 50 festivals, including Jewish and queer film festivals. After completing its festival run, Borison began bringing the film to synagogues and schools in the Orthodox Jewish community. About six of these schools, in states such as New York, New Jersey and Ohio, included it as part of their curriculum.
He admitted that he also received rejections from some schools he approached, but said that any reservations about the subject matter are usually resolved once the school board and principal watch the film. “They see that it’s not as controversial as they thought it will be,” Borison said. “One of my goals was to make a story that really focused the experience of closeted children. I didn’t want it to be controversial, I wanted to focus on the pain and isolation of what it’s like to be closeted in the religious community, which has nothing to do with Halacha or shul policies or marriage. It just has to do with these kids who are alone and need help.”
Borison, who is married to his partner and has lived in Los Angeles for the past 10 years, said he was moved to hear how the film had touched so many people. At several screenings, viewers approached him to share how the film brought them back to their own childhood experiences of being Orthodox and closeted. Some were so emotional they were in tears and could hardly speak. The young director said he hopes the film will help young gays feel less alone. He also hopes it will help the community understand the struggles closeted Orthodox teens face before and when coming out.
‘Unspoken’ will open at the Laemmle Royal Theater on Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. Q & A with director Jeremy Borison will follow the screening.
