Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
CAST: Ronit Elkabetz, Simon Abkarian, Gabi Amrani DIRECTOR: Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz TUESDAY FILM SERIES
An Israeli woman (Ronit Elkabetz) seeking to finalize her divorce from her cruel and manipulative husband finds herself effectively put on trial by her country's religiously-based marriage laws, in this riveting drama from sibling directors Shlomi and Ronit Elkabetz (Late Marriage and The Band's Visit) who is also one of Israeli cinema's most acclaimed actresses. In Israel there is neither civil marriage nor civil divorce; only rabbis can legalize a marriage or its dissolution, which is only possible with the husband's full consent. Viviane Amsalem has been applying for a divorce for three years but her husband Elisha (Simon Ebkarian of Casino Royale and Persepolis), will not agree. His cold intransigence, Viviane's determination to fight for her freedom, and the ambiguous role of the judges shape a procedure in which tragedy vies with absurdity, and where everything is brought out for judgment, apart from the initial request.
In the hands of sister-brother co-directors Ronit Elkabetz (who also co-stars) and Shlomi Elkabetz this patriarchal legal loophole becomes the wellspring for densely rich drama, told with stringent austerity but also humor and judicious empathy.Leslie Felperin, Hollywood Reporter
