In some Jewish custom, it is required that someone sit up with the body of the dead overnight to whisper prayers and keep evil from taking over the body; Shomer. For former Orthodox Jew Yakov, money is on his mind more than custom. Yakov is still grieving a major loss, and trying to figure out his place in the world when he is offered a paid gig by his former Rabbi to sit Shomer. He’s told it will be easy money and is just for the night. What follows is a harrowing survival story filled with demons, weird things seen out of the corner of the eye, and even a strange old woman with dementia who seems to know more than she is letting on.
Yakov’s future seems so uncertain in the start of this film. He’s recently left his religious community, and is exploring the world of women and life outside of Orthodoxy. Viewers will not need to have a solid history of Jewish Orthodoxy to understand this film. I think for the most part viewers will innately understand the feeling that comes from when one separates from the familiar for a new world, often following personal tragedy. The film also highlights that Christianity doesn’t control the whole market on the concept of demons and curses.
The Vigil is fascinating to watch, but not the popular jump-scare horror that for the most part populates our screens. It makes the viewer question whether they can take their world for granted, or if so much more hides beneath seemingly simple ritual.
The Vigil is available in select theaters on on VOD on February 26th.
