I don't read this film as a simple condemnation of the ultra-orthodox or the treatment of women in some of those communities. The male lead is an extremely empathic character who one cannot but sympathize with as his life is slowly (spoiler!) destroyed by the dictates of his faith - as conveyed by his absolute spiritual leader. The sweet marriage of two people who are very hard not to love, torn apart simply by that faith's dictate that a marriage must bear children, and the contrast with hollow dutiful insincere marriages, even the one the male lead is forced into with a stunning younger woman, makes the viewer ache for this pair to be free of the tyranny. But they're kept in it by their own conditioning, their own inability to question. The minimal but erotic contact with the secular Israeli society is compelling but it doesn't really make either world look that appealing.
Is this typical of ultra-orthodox lives? I very much doubt it. Does it have something to say about faith and belief and the purpose of marriage and love? Absolutely.
I think sympathetic portrayals of genuinely spiritual marriages in film are rare and often the depth of the bond is only hinted at (the scenes between Jessica Lange and Liam Neeson in Rob Roy come to mind). Here it is all there, and mostly in looks, in touches, in movements, and how the couple meets the dictates of their faith while simultaneously genuinely loving each other. It's a tightrope act, though, which ends in a fall - not their own, but after literally being pushed off that tightrope by a bullying "spiritual" leader whose faith is nothing compared to their own. The insincere formulaic ritualistic panic of some of the characters is almost comical. And again contrasts with the sincerity of the couple at the core of the story.
The second time I saw this film, I wept at the beauty of the way they touched and loved each other in the beginning, knowing what would happen to them. I was surprised I could watch it all the way through a second time, so clearly are the emotions portrayed.
This is close to being a masterpiece. I do not think there will be a film made that will portray a deeply religious couple and the way their faith and love can clash, anywhere, as well as this one does. Name one, if you can.
Is this typical of ultra-orthodox lives? I very much doubt it. Does it have something to say about faith and belief and the purpose of marriage and love? Absolutely.
I think sympathetic portrayals of genuinely spiritual marriages in film are rare and often the depth of the bond is only hinted at (the scenes between Jessica Lange and Liam Neeson in Rob Roy come to mind). Here it is all there, and mostly in looks, in touches, in movements, and how the couple meets the dictates of their faith while simultaneously genuinely loving each other. It's a tightrope act, though, which ends in a fall - not their own, but after literally being pushed off that tightrope by a bullying "spiritual" leader whose faith is nothing compared to their own. The insincere formulaic ritualistic panic of some of the characters is almost comical. And again contrasts with the sincerity of the couple at the core of the story.
The second time I saw this film, I wept at the beauty of the way they touched and loved each other in the beginning, knowing what would happen to them. I was surprised I could watch it all the way through a second time, so clearly are the emotions portrayed.
This is close to being a masterpiece. I do not think there will be a film made that will portray a deeply religious couple and the way their faith and love can clash, anywhere, as well as this one does. Name one, if you can.