Spoiler alert! These pivotal moments from 10 films presented at previous editions of the New York Jewish Film Festival highlight a wide array of themes and life lessons with fluctuating degrees of fate, heroism, and self-determination. Films represented in this compilation of clips include, in order of appearance:

The Jewish Cardinal
Ilan Duran Cohen, France, 2013

Daas
Adrian Panek, Poland, 2011

The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich
Antonin Svoboda, Austria, 2012

Protektor
Marek Najbrt, Czech Republic/Germany, 2009

Emotional Arithmetic
Paolo Barzman, Canada, 2007

Mahler on the Couch
Percy Adlon & Felix O. Adlon, Austria/Germany, 2010

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea
Thierry Binisti, France/Israel/Canada, 2011

Nina’s Tragedies
Savi Gavison, Israel, 2003

Gloomy Sunday
Rolf Schübel, Germany/Hungary, 1999

Live and Become
Radu Mihaileanu, France/Israel/Belgium, 2005