Rotten Tomatoes
Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Simchas and Sorrows

Play trailer 2:01 Poster for Simchas and Sorrows 2022 1h 56m Comedy Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
78% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
SIMCHAS AND SORROWS is an independent romantic comedy about a secular, free-spirited artist and former Catholic school girl, Agnes, who must come to terms with religion in order to marry the love of her life -- Levi. Shocked by a surprise pregnancy, the earnest Agnes agrees to begin converting to Judaism, in an effort to be accepted by Levi's more conservative Jewish family. Learning to join the tribe and follow the herd proves no easy task for someone who has spent her whole life questioning, and then breaking, the rules. As Agnes and Levi study with the progressive, courageous Rabbi Cohen, they discover all is not what it appears to be on the surface. As family secrets come to light, Agnes and Levi are forced to grapple with life's big questions. The film explores an evolving, modern Judaism, orthodoxies and hypocrisy, sibling rivalry, modern love, mental illness, artistic inheritance, and anti-Semitism.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

Simchas and Sorrows

Critics Reviews

View More
Stephen Silver Splice Today Sep 30, 2022
3/5
Skillfully navigates about a half-dozen of modern Judaism's most frought topics, but is nevertheless too long by about a half hour Go to Full Review Robert Denerstein Denerstein Unleashed Sep 19, 2022
No arguing with the message, but a last-minute revelation feels like a cop-out and, to me at least, it didn't feel as if the movie had fully engaged with its subject. Go to Full Review Neely Swanson Easy Reader (California) Sep 14, 2022
Just sit back and enjoy. You don’t always need a masterpiece to have a good time. Go to Full Review Josh Bell Crooked Marquee Sep 14, 2022
C+
Winds through their relationship for nearly two hours, only to end up with shortcuts and compromises that seem dissatisfying for both the couple and the audience. Go to Full Review Harvey S. Karten Shockya.com Sep 11, 2022
B
Bittersweet tale of an atheism who is converting to Judaism without great fanfare. Go to Full Review Jonita Davis The Black Cape (Medium) Aug 9, 2022
2/5
The story is easy to comprehend but may prove too dull in several places for those who have no connection to the Jewish culture. Rabbi Cohen offers some goods but not enough. I certainly wanted to fast forward to the Rabbi's sermons and skip the rest. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
M L @Enigo Aug 4, 2026 Underwhelming and often offensive. The "Jewish" characters largely exist in this film to lecture you about how Jews shouldn’t care about the Holocaust, or their religion, or feel any affinity towards the Holy Land. Most of the "Jewish" characters are portrayed as cruel and unpleasant, while the non-Jewish characters are universally portrayed as kind and empathetic. This film is what you get from people who grow up in a city like NYC where indoctrination into antisemitism is part of the formal educational curriculum. The film argues that Jews are essentially awful, but that non-Jews might be willing to accept them if they give up everything that makes them Jewish. Welcome to NYC See more Nov 27, 2022 Awesome movie and incredible acting! See more Griffin A @RT56904331 Nov 9, 2022 Best indie I've seen in a long time. Thought provoking and profound reflections on religion, love, and commitment. Rocking performances from Adams and Nef. See more Read all reviews
Simchas and Sorrows

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Genevieve Adams

Director

Genevieve Adams

Agnes

Thomas McDonell

Levi

Hari Nef

Rabbi Cohen

Luke Forbes

Everett

Julie Halston

Maude

More Like This

View All
Sneaking Around % % Sneaking Around Watchlist Goyo 83% 85% Goyo Watchlist Ramona 100% % Ramona Watchlist Faraway 83% 88% Faraway Watchlist Before We Begin % % Before We Begin Watchlist TRAILER for Before We Begin Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Simchas and Sorrows

Simchas and Sorrows: Trailer 1 Simchas and Sorrows: Trailer 1 2:01 Now Playing View more videos
View All

Simchas and Sorrows

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis SIMCHAS AND SORROWS is an independent romantic comedy about a secular, free-spirited artist and former Catholic school girl, Agnes, who must come to terms with religion in order to marry the love of her life -- Levi. Shocked by a surprise pregnancy, the earnest Agnes agrees to begin converting to Judaism, in an effort to be accepted by Levi's more conservative Jewish family. Learning to join the tribe and follow the herd proves no easy task for someone who has spent her whole life questioning, and then breaking, the rules. As Agnes and Levi study with the progressive, courageous Rabbi Cohen, they discover all is not what it appears to be on the surface. As family secrets come to light, Agnes and Levi are forced to grapple with life's big questions. The film explores an evolving, modern Judaism, orthodoxies and hypocrisy, sibling rivalry, modern love, mental illness, artistic inheritance, and anti-Semitism.
Director
Genevieve Adams
Producer
Genevieve Adams, Matt Ott, Jackie Donohoe, Hari Nef, Hannah Swayze, Lila Claghorn
Screenwriter
Genevieve Adams
Distributor
Gravitas Ventures
Production Co
Ataria Pictures, Term Paper Productions
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 16, 2022, Limited
Runtime
1h 56m
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings