Sweet and tender, Jeremy Borison’s coming-of-age feature debut offers a wholesome portrait of self-discovery through the eyes of an Orthodox teenager. Charlie Korman stars as Noam, a soft-spoken high schooler with an affinity for show tunes, a love shared by his grandfather. When his beloved Opa passes, Noam finds a love letter from before the Holocaust, written to his grandfather by another man. This startling discovery brings hope to the closeted Noam, who has been hiding his true identity from his family and friends.
Setting out to find the mysterious writer, Noam hopes to uncover both his grandfather’s identity as well as his own. He teams up with his affable classmate Jonah, whose guile piques Noam’s interest. As he learns more of the truth about his Opa, Noam realizes he will ultimately have to face his own secret life. Exploring the intersection of religion and sexuality, Unspoken offers an authentic representation of coming out and asks us to open our hearts and minds to a more compassionate future. —Dominique Oneil
West Coast Premiere
Director Jeremy Borison is a 2024 JFI Filmmaker in Residence