Set Me Free: A new movie that inspires unity and acceptance among Jewish communities

In these times of rising Antisemitism and insurmountable polarity, filmmaker Estelle Kohen has one goal: Jewish unity.

That’s the message of her recent film, Set Me Free, an unlikely love story between a secular medical student and an attractive young rabbi who teaches her about ethics in medicine. The award-winning film explores ethical dilemmas, struggles with acceptance, and the power of love.

“Torah observance is not all or nothing,” Kohen said in an interview with the Times of Israel. “We may look different, but when it comes down to it, we’re all part of the same family.”

The film is both educational and entertaining, teaching viewers about the varying traditions across the spectrum of Torah observance while creating emotional tension that keeps viewers engaged and invested in the on-screen relationships.

“It would be beautiful to have a new genre of Jewish faith-based films,” Kohen said, noting the power of film to inspire.

In the film, protagonist Alexandra is a smart, successful medical student who is Jewish, but has no knowledge of the religion. Eli, the young rabbi, quickly invites her to his family’s Passover Seder. While Alexandra develops a friendship and then a romance with Eli, he encourages her to ask and learn.

“In Jewish tradition, questions aren’t barriers, they’re bridges,” Eli says in the film.

Alexandra then explores ethical and religious questions such as “Do you ever want to do something that the Torah doesn’t allow?” or “Why can’t you sleep with your husband for part of the month?”

The rabbi patiently answers her questions and teaches her to refrain from judging those who choose a Torah-observant lifestyle just as he refrains from judging her secular lifestyle.

This exploration leads Alexandra’s lesbian sister to the revelation “I don’t need to be religious to be proud of being Jewish.” This epiphany is one of the main messages of the film, which celebrates Judaism at all levels of observance.

Meanwhile, in the film, Alexandra’s radio-personality, psychotherapist mom, Robin struggles with Alexandra’s exploration of religion despite her advice to clients and callers to accept their adult children.

In early screenings, viewers found these conflicts to reflect real-life struggles faced by many who choose to explore different levels of Judaism, according to Kohen. This is why the film’s message of unity and acceptance is so important.

The film won the Award of Merit at the IndieFest Film Awards in July 2024.

The inspiration for Set Me Free came from the 2020 Netflix miniseries Unorthodox, which is loosely based on the story of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish woman who flees her community and creates a new life for herself.

“When Unorthodox came out, there were a lot of people watching who didn’t know a lot about being Torah observant,” Kohen said. “There was so much negativity and so much misunderstanding about what is really going on in this community.”

While Kohen does not dismiss the story that inspired the miniseries, she said, “This is not what a typical Torah-observant life looks like.”

Kohen, who lives a Torah-observant lifestyle, but works in the secular world as a content creator, said Unorthodox led to many people asking her questions about her faith and she found herself explaining her lifestyle over and over again.

“I decided to show a different side of the story,” she said. She then started working on a script that would give a  more accurate picture of Torah observance. She worked with professional screenwriters and through multiple drafts and trials and errors to develop the message for the script.

“I realized the goal was not to defend the Orthodox community, but to offer clarity on  Torah-observance at various levels and about being open minded,” she said. Because the message was so important and so close to Kohen’s heart, she realized that she needed to take charge of the writing. While this is Kohen’s first script, her long-time career in content writing helped her get the romantic comedy on paper.

She then spent the next four years working with film professionals, including a casting director, director, production manager, audio producer, script consultants, and a team of talented actors to create the film.

Kohen noted that throughout the process the team adapted and adjusted the script to ensure it got the message across.

James Carman, an accomplished Director and Cinematographer, was key in casting and directing the film.

“I learned so much from James–he really took a raw script to the next level and helped bring it to life,” Kohen noted.

Today, the film is in its final stages, but it needs help from those interested in supporting its message. Supporters are welcome to screen the film for a small fee and provide feedback. Kohen said the crew will use proceeds and feedback to ensure the film is ready for wide distribution. The movie’s World Premiere is being planned for early 2025 in New York. All supporters will receive an early invitation to participate in the premiere.

Help contribute to Set Me Free’s message by screening the pre-release movie here:

Watch here