Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Viviane wants to separate from her husband. In Israel marriage and divorce fall under religious courts and a woman cannot divorce on her own; the husband has to consent. Elisha does not consent. He gives no reason. Viviane applies to the court. The hearings begin. Witnesses are called: neighbours, relatives, colleagues. Each describes what they saw of the marriage. Years pass and the file does not close. The film takes place entirely in the courtroom and the corridor. Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz write and direct. Ronit Elkabetz plays Viviane; Simon Abkarian and Sasson Gabai are in the cast. The film is the last link in a trilogy; two earlier films were made about the same couple and family. The setting never changes; the camera does not leave the building and what happens outside is known only from the talk. The matter it treats is in whose hands the law lies; the narrative criticises the religious court system directly. The passages of time are given in intertitles stating only how many months have passed; the narrative explains nothing further. Ronit Elkabetz's playing carries the film and the character says nothing at all through long stretches. It was widely argued over in Israel and at international festivals. Who it is for: viewers who like courtroom drama and films set in a single place. Who it is not for: nothing happens, the pace is very slow, and the narrative is deliberately suffocating.