World premiering at the 2014 Cannes Fest to deservedly great acclaim, “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” is Israel’s entry for this year Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
The poignant tale centers on an Israeli woman who, seeking to finalize her divorce from her cruel and manipulative husband, finds herself put on trial by her country’s strict and punitive religiously-based marriage laws.
This riveting drama about a process that’s still a painful, often torturous and humiliating, for many women, is sharply helmed by the sibling Shlomi and Ronit Elkabetz, vased on the meticulously constructed screnplay of Sivan Levy.
Ronit Elkabetz is better known as an accomplished actress, having performed in some of the best Israeli films of the past decade, Late Marriage and the award-winning The Band’s Visit.
As is known, there is neither civil marriage nor civil divorce in Israel, where 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), will not agree.
His cold intransigence, Viviane’s determination to fight for her freedom, and the ambiguous role of the judges create a situation in which tragedy interfaces with absurdity, and where every detail–except from the initial request–is critically evaluated and harshly judged.
Directed by Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz
- Written by Sivan Levy
