Inspirations: Holy Rollers (2010)

After deciding to make my idea: "A Jewish Parody of We Dem Boyz", I had to think whether there was another text or source that I could gain guidance or inspiration from in order to make this project stand out. 

Holy Rollers (2010) is a film about Sam Gold (Jesse Eisenberg), an Orthodox Jewish man studying to be a rabbi. Aside from studying, Sam works with his father in a fabric store that doesn't earn him enough money. Sam and his family wish to arrange the marriage between himself and a woman named Zeldy Lazar, who's family is richer than Sam's, making him worry that he will not be able to provide for them. Sam's best friend Leon is also studying to be a rabbi. Leon's brother Yosef offers Sam and Leon a mysterious job offer, which they accept. Yosef sends Sam and Leon to Amsterdam and tells them to wait for him. 

Once Yosef arrives, he hands them both briefcases full of "medicine" and tells them to bring it back to New York, where they live. Sam and Leon arrive in New York to discover the briefcases actually contain pure ecstasy. Sam is attracted to the idea of making money so he chooses to continue whilst Leon revokes his involvement with his brother. Sam meets Yosef's Israeli boss, Jackie, who takes interest in Sam. Sam continues to fly to Amsterdam and back until he is instructed to hire other Orthodox Jews to be drug mules. Sam meets Jackie's girlfriend, Rachel, who is a Liberal Jew and eases Sam out of the Orthodox lifestyle so quickly that Sam eventually begins to dress in normal clothes, cut his hair, drink more alcohol and take ecstasy. Sam's rise in the organisation leads to him leaving the Yeshiva, his current occupation being known throughout his neighbourhood and allows him to broker a business deal with a European drug manufacturer.

Sam's father discovers his drug dealing ways and kicks him out of the house. Sam discovers that Yosef is skimming Jackie's money from side deals and warns him not to. Jackie wants to ship street ecstasy, and wouldn't allow Sam to stop him. Because of this, the drug mules that Sam had hired were detected by sniffer dogs at the airport. Sam finds Yosef so that they can escape back to New York together. Yosef is too high and doesn't take notice; instead makes his own future decisions. Sam returns to Leon's house where he notices Zeldy, realising they married. Leon confronts Sam about this scandal, Sam begins to cry and police sirens are heard in the distance. 

Watching this film has helped produce some ideas, particularly mise-en-scene, for my music video. I have even thought of a possibility of creating an "intertextual reference" with this film. This reference could possibly be two Orthodox rabbis either handing briefcases to each other, or carrying them suspiciously. I believe that this film has also helped with the way that I am to record the actual parody song, as adapting a New York/Jew type of accent may be humourous to hear in the song.