Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014) - Ronit & Shlomi Elkabetz

Ronit & Slomi Elkabetz's Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalemm tells the story of Viviane, a woman who desperately wants a divorce in Israel.  This is a culture that doesn't have civil marriage or divorce, with a religious system being the only legitimate authority on these issues.  Viviane has been seeking divorce from her husband for years but her husband, Elisha, simply has no intention of seeing their marriage disolved.  Taking place in a single room for the majority of its two hour plus running time, Gett:  The Trial of Viviane Amsalem is a methodical and impressively engaging film that reveals the misogony of a system in Israel that was established generations ago.  The entire film chronicles the court house proceedings of this woman's fight for divorce, capturing the absolute absurdity of a system that values women as second-class human-beings.  Gett exposes how woman are viewed as ancillary to men in this culture's society with Viviane unable to gain her own freedom in a system that frankly views wives as a possession of men, nothing more.  Surprisngly funny due to the outright absurdity of the proceedings, Gett:  The Trial of Viviane Amsalem could easily be mistaken as a marriage/divorce farce,  if not for it being rooted in fact.  One thing I believe is worth noting is how carefully the film treats the husband, Elisha, never outright exposes him as some monster against his wife, but a deeply flawed man who loves her.  This arch enables the film to have another poigtant message, capturing how love must be reciprocal - Just because you love someone doesn't mean you deserve them.  Constantly engaging from start to finish, Gett is a powerful character study of a woman but also an incredibly flawed system in Israel, exposing how intentional or not, woman are viewed merely as objects in this society. 

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