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In Israel there is neither civil marriage nor civil divorce. Only rabbis can legitimate a marriage or its dissolution. But this dissolution is only possible with full consent from the husband, who in the end has more power than the judges.
Sibling Directors Shlomi and Ronit Elkabetz have the perfect advantage of duality in having Ronit, one of Israeli’s most acclaimed actresses, in the starring role of this film. From the very beginning, Viviane Amsalem (Ronit Elkabetz) is convincing as a prisoner in a sham of a marriage that has produced four children and a lovely reputation amongst the community. Her simple request for a divorce is overruled by the judge on the basic principle that there is nothing to support it. What starts out as a simple court proceeding with basic representation for the prosecution and the defense turns into years of court appearances where Vivian’s husband Elisha (Simon Ebkarian) refuses to grant his wife a divorce and pleads with her to come back home.
Honorable Rabbi, the unsympathetic judge who, guided by the country’s strict marriage laws and his own male ego, continues to sentence Viviane to house arrest in order to salvage her marriage and secure her rightful place at her husband’s discretion. Witnesses from both sides are summoned to defend either Viviane or Elisha’s character, and before long their own characters are put on trial in the confines of the courtroom. Knowing that the marriage can only be dissolved with his consent, Elisha continues to be unrelenting as he seemingly thrives on the suffering of his wife through years and years of emotional abuse.
After more than five years of court theatrics, including one year of actually being banned for poor behavior, Viviane and Elisha set up their own negotiations to finalize the divorce. The one request that Elisha makes could have been granted years earlier had he not had to contend with his bruised ego. The depiction of courtroom drama is realistic and the valiant effort to honor the Israeli marriage laws is painstakingly elaborate. If the filmmakers would have been brave enough to hit the fast forward button a few times, much of our patience could have been salvaged as well.
Opens Friday, March 6th at the Angelika Film Center in Dallas
