There are no such things as civil weddings or divorces in Israel so if a marriage fails then its all up to the male dominated Rabbinical Courts to decide the fate of any estranged couple and if they warrant a ‘Gett’ i.e. a Jewish divorce. In this new movie, the third in a trilogy of a frigid marriage which seemed doomed before it started some twenty years ago, Viviane the wife is finally applying to get her freedom.Her quest starts off on a wrong foot when her husband Elisha simply refuses to appear in Court. Little does she know now that she is destined to be in and out of that same Courtroom for the next five frustrating years. When Elisha is forced to attend some months later he refuses to talk, and so the Rabbis have no alternative than to order the first of a great many adjournments. Even at a later hearing when he is represented by his older brother Shimon, Elisha still refuses to co-operate because he claims that he will take Viviane back to make a go of their marriage even though she completely loathes him.
The camera rarely strays out of the courtroom as the months fly and little progress is made. At one point Viviane reluctantly agrees to the Rabbi’s condition of moving back into the marital home to give the marriage another shot, but as Elisha simply shuns her again, she soon totally gives up on the foolhardy notion of a reconciliation.
The crux of the matter is that a divorce can only be granted with the husband’s approval and this is something that Elisha refuses to give even though it is very apparent he despises his wife. Viviane’s hotheaded lawyer Carmel tries to prove incompatibility as grounds for divorce, but as this is not a legally recognized reason, the Rabbis refuse to listen.
The hearings are occasionally interrupted over the years with some hilarious contributions from witnesses called to testify on the state of their marriage. There is Viviane’s pushy rather hysterical sister-in-law Rachel who clearly despises Elisha and on the other hand there is dour Simon their control-freak neighbor who believes that wives should be totally subservient to all their husband’s demands and wishes.Each side has its share of dramatic histrionics with the passive/aggressive husband still maintaining his veto until he is sure that he can continue to control Viviane’s future. Despite all the bitter disappointments she is however unswayed from her determination to be legally rid of her husband and out of her unhappy marriage, and so frustrated at times by the impasse she shows her defiance in Court by letting her hair down which the old Rabbis see as a great personal affront to them.
It’s a powerful piece that has you fully engaged until the very bitter end thanks mainly to an expertly written script Ronit Elkabetz and her brother Shlomi, who both directed the movie too. Credit also to some rather brilliant performances including one from Ronit herself who played the patient and determined Viviane.
Divorce is never easy and never without pain or cost, but when you have to deal with a loaded patriarchal system that gives women like Viviane very little hope, it is extremely depressing.
