7/10I recently saw The Zohar Secret in Amazon Prime and decided to give it a shot.The story begins with Max, a Roman soldier, being charged with the return of one of the recently discovered scrolls of Zohar to Jerusalem. Why this is so vitally important to anyone else but Max is not fully explained by the film and is arguably not critically important to the movie. Neither is the significance of Zohar, and whether this is the same Zohar of Jewish literature, explained.It feels strange to say that this is not a spoiler, but Max dies in the first few minutes of the film, but only to come back in another time and place (always in the future) - a cycle that continues as long as the scroll is not returned to its rightful place. Following along in these episodes is Max's doppleganger, sometimes as a character of the time or other times as an alter ego, who acts as the antagonist and the only one who seems to know everything, including all that has happened to Max to that point. We are never sure if the doppleganger is real or imaginary. Was he cursed along with Max when they are both killed in the catacomb? or is Max imagining him? These leaps of time and space from Max's point of view are the most effective part of the film. After each leap, we share in Max's disorientation as we discover our new existence and share in his apprehension not knowing if he will die within minutes or live a full life only to learn at the end that the quest must still be fulfilled.The cinematography and design of period pieces and wardrobe are excellent, particularly for a film with such a modest budget. As I was watching this film, I was wondering if this would be the best film I would see this year or if I would be disappointed at the end. Yes, early parts of this film are that brilliant.The story wraps up with a seed of doubt in the viewer as to the reliability of our protagonist as the point of view of the story. Fine, I thought, and allowed myself to play along expecting this would be a perfect setup for some amazing reveal. However, in my opinion, the ending is disappointing and lacking in the artistry of the rest of the film. It gives the impression of a hurried production and a patchwork of different directions, anyone of which could have been the ending only to be all conveniently tidied up as the credits roll. Too bad. I was rooting to be swept away at the end of the quest.

I've just seen this movie yesterday and cant stop thinking about the strong emotions it made me feel. I won't go into a praise only to be called delusional after by people who have clearly not grasped the concept and meaning of this film. If you are thinking about watching this movie, but are put off by the negative reviews, consider this:Who are you going to believe? The guys who claim they were open-minded enough to watch this film, but at the same time prove the opposite when denying every possibility that a person might actually, really, truthfully like this movie by stating that the positive reviews MUST be written by reviewers who are either delusional or paid, or simply have terrible taste OR the few people who say this movie is a gem, a one-of-a-kind creation with a deep meaning about life and humanity, but requires a certain type of world view and most of all, openness to be able to see the value in it. The decision is yours to make.

I am not trying to write a review on the movie, as I think my words won't be enough to describe the lingering need for more I am left with, since I saw the movie for the second time in a day.It is a thrilling experience and makes you think of questions like: "what would you do if you knew you were actually immortal?" "wouldn't you test your limits and wouldn't you make this life as thrilling as possible?"I am very interested in spiritual movies, but not from a religious perspective and now I cannot get enough information about the movie and about the director. I would gladly watch any movies he will direct in the future with no shadow of a doubt that it would be again an amazing experience. I would definitely recommend this movie, for those who are seeking their inner self, and also to those who appreciate the cinematographic scenes that force you to think on the meaning of life. The director and the actor become one and the same. Creator and creation unite in the now.Sublime!

Feeling helpless to do anything about it as the world seems to spiral out of control seems a common state these days. This film talks beautifully about how together, we the people of the world, can shift the global environment to one of altruism and cooperation rather than greed and dog-eat-dog. The Zohar Secret provides the method for changing ourselves and our relationships with each other rather than trying to force others to change. And it's all an inside job.I agree with another reviewer that this film was not what I expected. It's not some esoteric, intellectual treatise, but an emotionally moving guidebook, so to speak, for how each of us finds and executes our part in the healing of our world. It gives me hope that humanity itself, all of us together, has the power to re-stabilize the balance on our planet.