The Believer (2001) | agoodmovietowatch
The Believer 8.4 2001 Movie

The Believer

Dir. Henry Bean · United States of America · English, Hebrew

Our take by Bilal Zouheir

Ryan Gosling plays a Jewish Neo-Nazi in this extremely riveting window into the definition of inner conflict. It is a prime example of how character development should be done and it put Gosling on the map for me. He starts out as an exemplary student in Hebrew school until he starts questioning his teachings and exploring alternative ideologies, leading him to the neo-Nazi movement. Won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance

What happens

A hardcore US racist skinhead who, because of his intelligence, leads a gang dedicated to fighting the enemy: the supposed American-Jewish conspiracy for domination. However, he's hiding a secret: he's Jewish-born, a brilliant scholar whose questioning of the tenets of his faith has left him angry and confused, turning against those who he thinks have a tragic history of their own making.

What the critics said

Notable Critics

"... stars an astonishing Ryan Gosling..."

— John Leonard

"those who see it will be struck by the adroitness with which it addresses touchy issues."

— Todd McCarthy

Awards

Spirit Awards

4 noms

Nominated: Best First FeatureNominated: Best Male LeadNominated: Best ScreenplayNominated: Best Supporting Female

Sundance

2 wins

Won: Dramatic (Grand Jury Prize)Won: Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic Competition)

European Film Awards

1 nom

Nominated: Screen International Award

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About the author

Bilal Zouheir

Bilal Zouheir

Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is US-based and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.