Fill The Void (2012) - Rama Burshtein

Shira, a devout Hasidic jew, is the youngest daughter in her family.  They live in Israel where religious law is the absolute.  Shira is about to married to a very promising young man around the same age but when her 28 year-old sister, Esther, dies during childbirth, everything changes.  Esther's death leaves behind her husband, Yochay, to care for the child by himself.  When Shira's mother learns of Yochay's plans to leave the country with her only grandchild, she proposes a match between Shira and Yochay.   Rama Burshtein's Fill The Void is a compelling and skillfully executed domestic drama exploring the connection between tradition and free will.  One of the strongest aspects of Fill The Void is its ability to transport the viewer deep into this devoutly religious world.  The film is very neutral in its approach, never showing any bias either way but simply opening up the world to the viewer.  The film features a very unique, almost hazy aesthetic, that along with some interesting lighting and focus decisions give the film a very angelic feel that fits the film perfectly.  Almost every character throughout Fill The Void has a strong emotionally storyline from the main protagonist Shira, to smaller characters like Frieda, a woman who sees her dream of marriage dwindle day by day.  The weight of the decision revolving around young Shira is incredibly poignant and the film understand this, doing a good job at showcasing the incredible burden such a young woman has to carry.  Rama Burshtein's Fill The Void effectively transports the viewer into the protagonists world, making it a touching and somewhat tragic piece of filmmaking
7.75/10

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