Tznuit is a word in Hebrew which does have a meaning, but it is one that for the vast majority of viewers, will not be known until the end – which is fitting with the material. The plot sees a Jewish woman in New York discovering she has an STD and, knowing it can only have come from her husband, she sets out to find out how it could possibly have come to her.
Set inside a Hasidic Jewish community, this is a film that draws a lot from a specific group and place, and it does ask the viewer to at least appreciate that while watching. The drama is very much contained within the couple's relationship, so we do appreciate their respective roles, and the limitations put on the wife as opposed to the freedom given to the man. Outside of the couple though, there isn't really the sense of a wider community or faith or reason for this and, to be fair, the drama could be just as easily played out in any other controlling or quasi-abusive relationship. As a result of this, the importance of this being a Hasidic Jewish relationship sort of fades away, because while it is front and centre, the film does not really break out to many reasons for that decision.
Delivered wholly in Yiddish, the film is really driven by the central performance. Louisa Krause is great throughout the film, very contained when she has to be and very good at showing that bottled up rage and lack of empowerment. Generally though there is not enough of the film around her to support the strong performance. There are some interesting elements – the use of food within scenes (and the conclusion) is one of them, but there is not really enough to really open up what is a very contained and straightforward narrative – even if Krause is a big part of opening it up with her performance.
