Susan Granger’s review of “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” (Music Box Films)
For Orthodox Jews in Israel, divorce is decided not in civil court but by a triumvirate of rabbinical judges.
In order for a wife to obtain one, her husband must consent – and the ordeal of Viviane Amsalem vividly illustrates this patriarchal tyranny.
After bearing four children and enduring decades of an unhappy marriage, Viviane (Ronit Elkabetz) has left her home and moved in with her brother and overbearing sister-in-law.
For three years, she has attempted to obtain a “gett,” which is permission to dissolve her marriage, but her taciturn, religiously devout husband Elisha (Simon Abkarian) steadfastly refuses.
Since childhood, Viviane has been trained to obey authoritarian men, and Elisha’s stalling tactics delay her agony as weeks and months turn into years. Ignoring one summons after another, he’s intractable as she becomes more embittered.
Filmed exclusively in the claustrophobic courtroom and its stark antechamber, Viviane is represented Carmel Ben Tovim (Menasche Noy), the son of a distinguished rabbi who has broken with family tradition, while Elisha is represented by his older brother, Rabbi Shimon (Sasson Gabay).
Eventually, various inept and/or hypocritical witnesses are called to testify about their marital relationship, facing a judicial trio, called Beth din, headed by Rabbi Salmion (Eli Gorstein).
Utilizing countdown title cards and extreme close-ups, this bitter farce and heart-wrenching drama focuses on Viviane, representing the basic women’s rights issue in Israel, which is supposedly a democracy.
Born in Beersheba, Israel, actress/director/writer Robit Elkabetz, working with her writer/director brother Shlomi Ekabetz, conceived this thought-provoking feature as the conclusion to a trilogy, which includes “To Take a Wife” and “7 Says,” films ostensibly inspired by the life of their mother. It was a Golden Globe nominee and Israel’s submission for the Foreign Language Academy Award.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “GETT: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” is an embattled, infuriating 8, epitomizing the concept of male entitlement.
