Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014) review

Viviane (Ronit Elkabetz) desperately wants a divorce ("gett") from difficult husband Elisha (Simon Abkarian), except in Israel - unlike, say, the United States - that decision is made by a trial (involving Rabbis as judges) and must be agreed to by the husband ... except Elisha doesn't want a divorce, dragging out the process for some five years. Viewers from locations where divorce is (sometimes) a less complicated scenario might find the Elkabetz siblings beating the proverbial dead horse - try not to roll your eyes when you see "two months later" appear over and over again - but it is a woman's picture after all (and a strong one at that), revealing how the process takes its toll on poor Viviane, desperately wanting her freedom from a loveless 'union.' The Elisha character never quite becomes the villain I thought he would be - unbelievably stubborn and petty - and it eventually becomes clear he doesn't understand the difference between actual love and a desire for control. It might have been nice to see the two interact with each other in a domestic environment instead of a courtroom setting, but this is the third film of a trilogy (I haven't seen the others) after all.