SYNOPSIS: Disillusioned by his Jewish roots and meaningless life, young Londoner Daniel embarks on an unforgettable journey throughout Europe on a quest to find his great grandfather's grave.  From city to city, Daniel encounters an exciting myriad of events, finding his true self along the way.  Director Caroline Roboh's visually stunning travelogue delves into the core of family traditions and personal discovery.

EDITORIAL REVIEW:  For many twenty something's entering adulthood nowadays, it's hard to find ones place in society.  Daniel, our protagonist in the movie is feeling fed-up and under appreciated with his dead-end job and like many people his age who would love to get away, decides to toss it all to the wind; his job, his income, his partner(s) and take a whirl-wind trip around Eastern Europe to get his mind off his dull dead end, seemingly meaningless life.  What he encounters along his journey, contrary to his reasons for leaving however, begin to change his outlook on life and his ancestry.  For those who wish to pick up and leave never to look back, Shem may just be what you need to get away, without leaving everything you know. -- Written by Duffy

Our two cents: There are mixed reviews for this movie, and I can see why.  Most of them either love Shem or hate it outright.  Personally, I really don't know what to think.  I wanted to write a similar review to that of The Tracey Fragments, but Shem isn't really that screwed up to warrant such a charming review.  Shem isn't what you're expecting, and I think Writer / Director Caroline Roboh got lost along the way while telling the story of Daniel.  Sometimes it even looks like the young lead, Ash Newman, who plays Daniel, is a little lost himself as he journey's from country to country deflecting sexual propositions from older men and women wherever he goes while trying to find his great grandfather's grave.  I don't mean lost in a physical sense, but figuratively speaking when it comes to figuring out what Roboh was trying to do.  If the story is about a young man lost in life and trying to find himself through his Jewish roots, then Shem is spot on....albeit by total accident.  The sexual nature of Daniel's life really doesn't seem to matter much, but the film tips its toes into that murky water to perhaps attract fans of the 'coming of age' genre and our website.  It probably won't be a top seller, but it may be of interest to serious collectors.

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* This DVD will play in North America only.  This DVD should play in most players outside of North America as well, but it's not guaranteed. This DVD will play in any computer DVD-Rom.  This is NOT a DVD-R.

VIEW MULTIMEDIA:  

STARRING: Ash Newman, Arturo Brachetti, Cyrielle Clair, Geraldine de Bastion.
AVAILABILITY: In stock! Ships within one business day.
LENGTH: 93 minutes.
LANGUAGE: English, with OPTIONAL FRENCH SUBTITLES.
SPECIAL FEATURES: 1.85:1 (16:9 Widescreen); Dolby Digital 5.1 audio; Interview with director Caroline Roboh; Interview with actor Ash Newman; 1 disc; Trailer; Uncut.
VIEWER DISCRETION: Brief nudity, sexual scenes, coarse language, violence.
PICTURE QUALITY: Excellent picture quality. (what's this mean?)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Israel / UK (2004).
ALSO KNOWN AS: Name (UK).
DATE ADDED TO OUR LIBRARY:  November 21, 2008.
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