Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to nonprofit funding for independent filmmakers and media artists. Donate today and help bring Unraveled to life.
 

Logline

On the verge of his Bar Mitzvah, Simon’s recurring nightmares about dropping the Torah threaten to derail his big day.

Synopsis

Simon is only three days away from his Bar Mitzvah and the nightmares are getting worse. This Saturday, he becomes a man in the eyes of Judaism. His Father, recently divorced, is on a religious journey of his own. Heartbroken by his ex-wife’s remarriage, David, Simon’s father, has become an orthodox Jew. He spends his days wrapped in Tefillin, and cloaked in his Tallis.

Seeing religion as his only path forward, David puts immense pressure on Simon to fully immerse himself in his Bar Mitzvah and his Torah portion. The only problem? Simon’s Torah portion is the story of the binding of Isaac. In the story, Abraham, the first Jew is commanded to bring Isaac, the first Jewish son, up to the temple mount and to sacrifice him in order to prove his loyalty to god. As Simon’s Rabbi and Father urge him towards blind faith rather than understanding, Simon finds himself haunted by the idea that a religious man would ever agree to sacrifice his own son.

As his Bar Mitzvah grows closer, Simon’s nightmares grow more vivid, tales about being sacrificed by his father, about dropping the Torah, and about being rejected from his own religion haunt him. As the day arrives, Simon is called forth in front of the entire congregation to deliver his Torah Portion, and to share his beliefs with the community. His father watches on, desperate to see his son take the same path as him.

Meet the Filmmakers

Yale Fried – Writer/Director/Producer
Yale Fried grew up with nine brothers and sisters in Buffalo, New York. Long before he ever wanted to be a director, Yale wanted to be a Rabbi. After all, Rabbis told stories. He thought he might like to do that.

Yale’s dream of becoming a Rabbi never did come to fruition, but while studying film at Emerson College, he worked part time as a Hebrew School teacher at a local Synagogue where he tutored Bar Mitzvah students and (even better) met his wife.

As a filmmaker, Yale has produced content for companies like Crooked Media, Lionsgate, American Idol, GQ, Vanity Fair, and Google.

In creating this film, Yale wanted to tell a far more personal story. Unraveled is the fictional story of Yale’s very real fears of dropping the Torah at his own Bar Mitzvah. The film is a coming of age tale about fathers and sons, finding your place in religion, and the irresistible draw of bacon.

Isaak Popkin – Producer/Director of Photography
Isaak Popkin is a cinematographer and producer based in New York City. Working in both documentary and fiction in the US and Europe, Isaak combines a passion for visual storytelling and political activism in his work. He is a recent graduate from Sciences Po (FR) and Columbia University (USA).

Chris Dooly – Producer
Chris Dooly is a producer, actor and writer from the Washington, D.C. metro area. He earned his B.F.A. in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. While at NYU, he performed for Shakespeare in the Square, Washington Square Park’s premier Shakespeare troupe. Chris has studied acting with Alec Baldwin, James Tripp, Betsy Parish, Lola Cohen and Irma Sandrey. He is also the founder of DMforAdventure, a boutique professional TTRPG service for kids and adults.

Liv Boren – Producer
Liv Boren is a London-bred, New York-based filmmaker. She began making films in her North West London neighborhood as a child and has been writing stories and putting them on screen ever since. She currently works as a Senior Producer in New York City, working on commercial projects with brands such as Amazon, Icelandic Glacial Water, Fox, OceanX, TNR, ClipperVision, Braze and more.

Christopher Salerno – Editor
Christopher Salerno is an Emmy nominated editor, based in New York. He is currently a Film Editor at NBC’s Saturday Night Live and has worked with many other networks and streaming services including Adult Swim, HBO Max, and Netflix. He has also worked with a variety of brands including Budweiser, Johnson & Johnson, Chase Bank, Stella Artois, Habit Burger, Impossible Foods and Olay. He served as an editor on the feature-length documentary Six Locked Doors, which is currently available to stream.

Make a donation to Unraveled.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.