thenationofartists.com

Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek
(from the 2008 Palm Springs International Film Festival)

Director: Oded Lotan
Starring: Oded Lotan, Yossi Graber (narrator), Sarah Lotan-Kerber, Uwe Lotan, Family Kerman, Ilia Barabash

The animated, poetic opening to this tale of a “brit” (the circumcision of Jewish males at eight days of age) is an auspicious start to a serious, sometimes funny, semi-squeamish study of why this particular piece of skin goes “missing.”

Helmer Oded Lotan shares his life, wanderlust and wonder as the “hero” of this documentary, and, in doing so, reveals sensitive aspects of his relationship with his family, the questions created by his homosexuality (and his marriage to a foreskin-endowed German man that provides the catalyst), and further examines his place within his own world and the world at large.

By initially focusing on these questions of custom and identity, the ritual of circumcision is smartly put in wider context as not just a Jewish issue but one that affects Muslims, African Christians, contemporary Americans, South Koreans and others who engage in what is perhaps the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the world.

This film is undoubtedly a tool by which the director seeks to substantiate his identity – as a man, as a gay man and as a secular Jew. But can Lotan reconcile his participation in these age-old customs when his feet step to the rhythms and relevancies of a variety of different tribes?

The Quest for the Missing Piece is divided into chapters that explore:

• the rituals as performed by Jewish “mohels” on baby boys, and by Muslims on their seven-year-old sons, as well as Christianity’s abandonment of the procedure;
• the question of identity experienced by Jews and non-Jews in a foreign land;
• the identity of gays in Israel (illustrated by a gay parade subjected to a vitriol of abuse from religious zealots);
• the psychology of the experience;
• the groups that oppose circumcision; and
• personal stories of relatives.

Through these explorations, the circumcision takes on significance not only as the defined “covenant” between man and God, but also as a symbol of unity and sameness in a world where people fear exclusion from their peers.

Despite the personal approach, the patchwork of ideas and presentation of arguments is offered to its audiences without the bias of pre-formed opinion or the predisposition to condescension so often present in modern documentaries. And even though the documentary is dotted with cartoons, there is sure to be no confusion between this Missing Piece and Shel Silverstein’s classic children’s book. Lotan’s content is comprehensive, shies away from stereotypes and caricatures, and, surprisingly, is more than a little charming.