Film Journal International Article

After winning the Grand Jury Prize at last year’s Sundance Festival, Henry Bean’s directorial debut The Believer seemed to be lost in limbo. Distributors were reluctant to pick up the film on account of religious controversy. Its only venue looked to be Showtime, where it premiered in March. But finally, this provocative film will receive a deserved run on the big screen.

Inspired by the true story of American Nazi Party leader Daniel Burros, the film follows Danny Balint (Ryan Gosling), a 22-year-old neo-Nazi skinhead. Once a bright and outspoken yeshiva student, Danny now dons a swastika t-shirt and terrorizes Jews. At a neo-fascist meeting, his articulate argument that Jews should be destroyed impresses Lina Moebius (Theresa Russell) and Curtis Zampf (Billy Zane), who recruit him for their fascist movement. Danny manages to hide his past while rousing a growing group of followers. But the more extreme his anti-Semitism becomes, the more Jewish he feels. When Danny leads a gang of skinheads into a synagogue to plant a bomb, the setting unexpectedly awakens his Jewish soul. He begins to secretly study the Torah, teach Hebrew to his girlfriend Carla (Summer Phoenix), and wear tallis under his clothes. He lives out a contradictory existence, edging towards self-destruction.

Though a little raw and awkward in places, the film is undeniably powerful and always fascinating. Bean, the screenwriter of crime thrillers Internal Affairs and Deep Cover , has crafted a daring and thought-provoking meditation on how love can take on the guise of hate. Underneath the film’s seemingly hazy message about Jewish identity is a fervent tribute to Judaism, rife with paradox.

The key to understanding Danny’s transformation from Orthodox Jew to neo-Nazi lies in his passionate debates peppering the film. Some of the Judaic discourse may be too particular for viewers who aren’t versed in the Torah, but the scenes never feel ponderous, thanks to Gosling’s blazing performance. At once vicious and tortured, he convincingly portrays Danny’s conflicted nature. The movie rests on the shoulders of its brooding protagonist, one of the most complex and compelling screen characters in recent memory.

—Daniel Steinhart