Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem-2014

Directors Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz

Starring Ronit Elkabetz, Simon Abkarian

Scott’s Review #409

Reviewed June 9, 2016

Grade: B+

Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem (2014) is the third in a trilogy of films that focus on the title character, Vivian Amsalem, and her unhappy marriage to her husband, Elisha.

The unhappiness is hers, and he sees no reason to end the marriage.

It is a film about culture, religion, and modern views versus traditional ones.

I wasn’t aware the film was a trilogy until after I finished watching and started researching as I prepared to review it.

You don’t need to watch the first two films (To Take A Wife and Shiva) to enjoy this one, as I suspect each is a chapter, not a continuation.

Vivian is a tall, beautiful woman, though she is weary and haggard when we first lay eyes on her in the stifling courtroom, where she sits and spends much of her time.

She has long dark hair and intense eyes- she appears driven and quite modern and of liberal thinking, a feminist perhaps.

She is frustrated because her husband has thwarted her yearning for an independent life. She would like a divorce after over twenty years. Having met him at age fifteen, this is the only life she has known.

Since he will not agree to the divorce, the courts will not grant her the decision she wants. Since he has not abused her and gives her everything she desires, the judges have no grounds to grant her the divorce.

This is the film’s conflict.

Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem has a clear religious message, which is an interesting component for an American viewer.

How simple it is to divorce somebody in Western civilization and how different the measure is in Israel. Jewish religious law is quite restrictive.

Vivian faces an enormous ordeal. She does not love her husband yet cannot end her loveless marriage. The film is fraught with a clear conflict and one’s interpretation of right and wrong.

Almost set as a play since the film has merely one set- the courtroom- this aspect is effective at showing frustration, exasperation, and even rage.

All the while, Gett has a sly sense of humor, and I could not help but smirk at a few of the supporting character portrayals.

I sensed a Pedro Almodóvar (a famous Spanish director) influence in the quirky, sly writing, and his themes of political freedom.

Character after character is called into the courtroom to testify as witnesses to Vivian and Elisha’s happy marriage- each attorney looking for evidence to cement their client’s point of view.

In contrast to Vivian’s fierce independence, a mature neighbor couple heralds Vivian and Elisha as the perfect couple. Soon, the wife is grilled, revealing that she is submissive to her husband and lives in an entirely different world than Vivian.

To be critical, the film drags slightly, but I wonder if this is the director’s intent. The tone is a suffocating one- Vivian and her attorney languish in the same courtroom for five long years as delay after delay occurs.

Throughout the numerous testimonies, an accusation is raised that is an interesting component of the film and an aspect I wondered about very early on- was an affair brewing between Vivian and her attorney? It is alluded to, but never confirmed, rather shrouded in mystery.

One wonders.

From an acting perspective, Ronit Elkabetz is fantastic. I am saddened she didn’t receive an Oscar nomination, but there was some buzz about this actress when the film was released.

Her scene of pure rage towards the end of the film is brilliant. All the years of bottled-up emotions come flowing out in one great performance.

Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem (2014) is an intense experience of tedium, frustration, and ultimately rage, but it’s never stuffy or too serious, as shown by its humorous supporting characters.

It is for patient film fans seeking an emotional, human experience.