Watch The Burial Society

The Burial Society is a crime thriller movie from 2002 that follows the story of Moshe (Rob LaBelle), a devout Jewish man who works for an underground organization carrying out mysterious "burials" for the Jewish underworld. These burials are the ritualized covering up of the crimes of Jewish gangsters in the underworld who are unable to be buried in a traditional Jewish cemetery.

Moshe's job requires him to perform the burials with the utmost discretion and care, without bringing any attention to the underground network. However, things take a turn when he is reluctantly partnered with a new member of the burial society, Avram (Jan Rubes), who is not what he seems. Avram is a Holocaust survivor with a dark and dangerous past, and becomes increasingly unpredictable throughout the movie.

The movie is set in the heavily Jewish populated area of Los Angeles, California. As the story unfolds, Moshe and Avram are tasked with burying a particularly high-profile Jewish gangster. Along the way, they become embroiled in a larger conspiracy involving power struggles within the Jewish Mafia, corrupt Jewish policemen, and a larger criminal underworld.

Allan Rich co-stars as an aging Jewish mafia don who has to decide who to back in a battle for control over the underworld. The Burial Society takes a look at the moral dilemmas of these individuals, who are caught up in a morally ambiguous world.

The core of the movie lies in the relationship between Moshe and Avram, who share a unique bond. Moshe is fervently religious and sticks to the code of secrecy and honor that comes with his line of work. However, Avram challenges these beliefs with his unpredictable behavior and reinvigorates Moshe's own troubled past, forcing him to confront some difficult truths.

Throughout the movie, director Nicholas Racz infuses Jewish motifs and symbolism as a way of emphasizing the importance of tradition and faith in Jewish society. The movie takes a deeper look at how the Jewish culture in Los Angeles has evolved and adapted over time, and how the reverence for tradition is still relevant amidst a changing and often dangerous world.

The Burial Society is a unique blend of crime, drama, and religious motifs. With a strong script and great performances from the lead actors, the film holds its attention to the end. The story delves into dark themes of loyalty, honor, redemption, and religion within the Jewish Mafia, and how a singular belief in tradition and faith can help to guide even the most morally ambiguous individuals.

The Burial Society is a 2004 thriller with a runtime of 1 hour and 34 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.0 and a MetaScore of 53.