Rarely is a movie more moving and, even to the viewer, more traumatic than this one to any reasonably sensitive person.
The movie must be watched in the context of the society in which it is set. I admit that I am not familiar with Israeli law at all as it relates to the matter of divorce and I do wonder whether the type of Rabbinical Court shown here, which put the main character through such trauma for such an extended period, is the only route to divorce in modern day Israel or whether there is a non-religious judicial alternative.
It is strange and extremely disturbing to think that the legal process in modern Israel appears still to show so little concern for the health and welfare of females who must be involved in it as is depicted in this movie. I hope that Viviane Amsalem's experience with the Rabbinical Court is not typical of how women are normally treated in such courts.
Despite its length of nearly two hours, this movie was for me totally involving from beginning to end, watching as this woman was abused and belittled in what can only be descriobed as a terribly patriarchal setting where her word was valued little compared to that of the males who dealt with the court and her health and welfare were abused and neglected egregiously for over five years.
Many people are critical of divorce law in the Western world, maintaining that divorce is too easy and makes marriages expendable. My country, Australia, has had very simple and very liberal divorce laws since 1975 and that my friends is as it should be.
Decisions to divorce are always traumatic to some degree wherever divorce occurs. The legal system itself, whether judicial or religious, should never victimize and torment those who seek to divorce.
A great movie and highly recommendable. 8/10 from me
JMV
The movie must be watched in the context of the society in which it is set. I admit that I am not familiar with Israeli law at all as it relates to the matter of divorce and I do wonder whether the type of Rabbinical Court shown here, which put the main character through such trauma for such an extended period, is the only route to divorce in modern day Israel or whether there is a non-religious judicial alternative.
It is strange and extremely disturbing to think that the legal process in modern Israel appears still to show so little concern for the health and welfare of females who must be involved in it as is depicted in this movie. I hope that Viviane Amsalem's experience with the Rabbinical Court is not typical of how women are normally treated in such courts.
Despite its length of nearly two hours, this movie was for me totally involving from beginning to end, watching as this woman was abused and belittled in what can only be descriobed as a terribly patriarchal setting where her word was valued little compared to that of the males who dealt with the court and her health and welfare were abused and neglected egregiously for over five years.
Many people are critical of divorce law in the Western world, maintaining that divorce is too easy and makes marriages expendable. My country, Australia, has had very simple and very liberal divorce laws since 1975 and that my friends is as it should be.
Decisions to divorce are always traumatic to some degree wherever divorce occurs. The legal system itself, whether judicial or religious, should never victimize and torment those who seek to divorce.
A great movie and highly recommendable. 8/10 from me
JMV