Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Almost completely confined to a single courtroom, sibling filmmakers Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz's Gett uses claustrophobia to advantage as it portrays an Israeli divorce procedure in which spouses—especially wives—are pawns to religious law. The conclusion of a trilogy (preceded by To Take a Wife and The Seven Days), the story centers on Viviane and Elisha Amsalem, trapped in a decades-long loveless union, whose divorce trial—in ongoing rabbinical tribunals—can result in a “gett,” formalizing the end of the marriage. But either party can delay the process indefinitely or simply refuse to agree to the gett, which is precisely what happens when strictly Orthodox Elisha (Simon Abkarian) initially engages in dilatory tactics and then declines to assent. The judges generally take his side, ordering Viviane (Ronit Elkabetz) to return home repeatedly and try to make the marriage work. Over the span of five years, tribunals hold meeting after meeting, probing husband and wife about their rift and summoning witnesses to describe their relationship. Much of the film's power derives from the performances, with the remarkable Elkabetz standing out as the “chained woman” trapped in a limbo between marriage and freedom, an oppressive state of affairs that requires her to live a perfectly “honorable” life even though she hasn't been with her husband for years. One need not have seen the previous films in the trilogy to appreciate this searing commentary on the Israeli divorce system in which a modern woman is sadly trapped in religious intricacies. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” documentary (39 min.), a PRX radio interview with director and star Shlomi Elkabetz (27 min.), a “The Cinema of Gett” interview with Elkabetz (23 min.), a 2015 Golden Globes symposium segment (13 min.), a booklet including an essay by film writer Anthony Kaufman, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a compelling and thought-provoking foreign drama.] (F. Swietek)