'Gett' means divorce decree in Hebrew. And that's what this film is about: a divorce. A long, painful, difficult and tragic divorce. The film shows the court procedures during a five year period, in which Viviane Amsalem tries to convince her husband Elisha to grant her a divorce. Apparently, in Israel, mutual consent is necessary for a divorce. And a divorce can only be obtained after a procedure in a rabbinical courts.
The consequences of this archaic system are clearly shown. The whole procedure and the rabbinical judges themselves are biased towards men. They consider marriage as a religious contract, not as a consensual agreement between two equal persons. 'Why don't you want to divorce this woman?', asks a judge. 'Because she is my fate', answers Elisha Amsalem.
The whole concept of these religiously inspired courts is completely contrary to what we consider as fair justice. It's amazing that this can exist in a modern state like Israel. No doubt, that is exactly the message the directors wanted to give with this film. Of course, Judaism is no exception in this regard. Compared to men, women are usually disadvantaged in religion, be it by the Islamic rules to wear a veil, or by the catholic rules forbidding women to become priests.
Apart from being a film with a strong message, this is also a wonderful cinematographic accomplishment. The film is completely devoid of any sensationalism. It shows the goings-on in the court room, and nothing else. This sounds boring, but in fact the film makers achieve the opposite effect. You keep on watching with growing amazement. In fact, a lot of things happen during the proceedings. At first, there is the clear obstruction from Elisha, who refuses several times to appear in court. After that, there is a series of appearances by witnesses, who are very colourful personalities and sometimes add a bit of humor to the grim proceedings. And in the end there is a final dramatic showdown between the two protagonists.
All of this takes place in the bare court room, filled with religious zealots, who consider coloured toe nails as something to be frowned upon, and forbid Viviane to touch her own hair because somehow that could give offense. The power of this film is the acting by all involved. Co-director Ronit Elkabetz is incredible as the patient, dignified Viviane, barely hiding her contempt for her husband and the judges. Only at the very end, she allows herself to fully express her emotions. But the husband, Elisha, is also shown as a complex character. He is a rigid man, constrained by his religious beliefs. You only fully get to understand his motivations after he is convicted to a prison sentence for contempt of court.
This is one of those movies that truly deserve an international art-house audience. It is worth seeing because of the subject, but even more so because of its quality. I was amazed to be the first one to review it, and to see that only 130 people have rated it.
The consequences of this archaic system are clearly shown. The whole procedure and the rabbinical judges themselves are biased towards men. They consider marriage as a religious contract, not as a consensual agreement between two equal persons. 'Why don't you want to divorce this woman?', asks a judge. 'Because she is my fate', answers Elisha Amsalem.
The whole concept of these religiously inspired courts is completely contrary to what we consider as fair justice. It's amazing that this can exist in a modern state like Israel. No doubt, that is exactly the message the directors wanted to give with this film. Of course, Judaism is no exception in this regard. Compared to men, women are usually disadvantaged in religion, be it by the Islamic rules to wear a veil, or by the catholic rules forbidding women to become priests.
Apart from being a film with a strong message, this is also a wonderful cinematographic accomplishment. The film is completely devoid of any sensationalism. It shows the goings-on in the court room, and nothing else. This sounds boring, but in fact the film makers achieve the opposite effect. You keep on watching with growing amazement. In fact, a lot of things happen during the proceedings. At first, there is the clear obstruction from Elisha, who refuses several times to appear in court. After that, there is a series of appearances by witnesses, who are very colourful personalities and sometimes add a bit of humor to the grim proceedings. And in the end there is a final dramatic showdown between the two protagonists.
All of this takes place in the bare court room, filled with religious zealots, who consider coloured toe nails as something to be frowned upon, and forbid Viviane to touch her own hair because somehow that could give offense. The power of this film is the acting by all involved. Co-director Ronit Elkabetz is incredible as the patient, dignified Viviane, barely hiding her contempt for her husband and the judges. Only at the very end, she allows herself to fully express her emotions. But the husband, Elisha, is also shown as a complex character. He is a rigid man, constrained by his religious beliefs. You only fully get to understand his motivations after he is convicted to a prison sentence for contempt of court.
This is one of those movies that truly deserve an international art-house audience. It is worth seeing because of the subject, but even more so because of its quality. I was amazed to be the first one to review it, and to see that only 130 people have rated it.