Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 1st at 4:10 pm for Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem at the Landmark Bethesda Row . Look for Laine wearing a green coat in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.
An Israeli woman (Ronit Elkabetz) seeking to finalize a divorce (gett) from her estranged husband finds herself effectively put on trial by her countrys religious marriage laws, in this powerhouse courtroom drama from sibling directors Shlomi and Ronit Elkabetz. In Israel, there is neither civil marriage nor civil divorce; only Orthodox rabbis can legalize a union or its dissolution, which is only possible with the husbands full consent. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Viviane Amsalem has been applying for a divorce for three years but her religiously devout husband Elisha (Simon Abkarian, Casino Royale, Persepolis), continually refuses. His cold intransigence, Vivianes determination to fight for her freedom, and the ambiguous role of the rabbinical judges shape a procedure where tragedy vies with absurdity and everything is brought out into the open for judgment. Winner of the Israeli Film Academy Ophir Award for Best Picture and propelled by the craft of Ronit Elkabetz (Late Marriage, The Bands Visit), one of Israeli cinemas most acclaimed actresses, Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem is an uncompromising, heart-rending portrait of a womans struggle to overcome an unmoving patriarchy and live a life of her own design. (Fully subtitled)
Bethesda Row Cinema features assigned seating. The group will be seated in row M, but feel free to sit wherever you like. We will meet back upstairs after the film ends.