Pamela Berger, screenwriter and producer on Suzanne Schiffman’s Sorceress, wrote and directed this first feature about Jewish immigrants in Boston at the turn of the century; it is based on a story by Abraham Cahan, and was shot cheaply and independently. Worrying about the fate of his soul, a wealthy widowed landlord (Second City’s Eugene Troobnick) imports a Talmudic scholar (Avi Hoffman) from Poland to marry his Americanized and recalcitrant daughter (Greta Cowen), and various comic complications ensue. The movie’s strongest suit is Troobnick’s robust performance; less endearing is the tinny sound track, including a pounding and nudging piano score. (JR)