Rent Disobedience (2017)

A deeply emotional & moving film, with stunning performances from Weisz & McAdams - Disobedience review by TB

Films which involve religion/challenge the orthodoxy that is deeply ingrained within cultures have always made for excellent viewing when they have a strong script & good actors. The deconstruction & impact, when examined compassionately, can be profound. Added to the list of those films comes Disobedience, which looks closely at two women of the Jewish faith, caught in a love triangle with their childhood friend, dealing with love, loss & judgement.

Ronit (Weisz) is a photographer living in New York. One day, she receives a phone call, informing her that her father, who is also a senior Rav, has died. Ronit is estranged not only from her family but also the entire Orthodox Jewish community where she grew up. She returns to England for the funeral, where she is shocked to find that her close childhood friend Esti & their mutual friend Dovid, who has also been mentored as the Rav's successor, have married. Ronit is not welcomed back into the community, ostracised & rejected by others. However, the rekindling of the powerful feelings between her and Esti become too much to be able to hide.

Weisz & McAdams, who are both excellent actresses in their own right, absolutely bring their A-game here. As Ronit, Weisz is able to convey extraordinarily powerful emotions of heartbreak, strength & hope, sometimes all at the same time. McAdams ably matches her, making Esti feisty, but also sadly a prisoner of the religious limits placed on her by everyone (mostly men,) around her. Seeing her able to finally be free & be her true self is profoundly moving.

As much he is also very good, I did feel that Alessandro Nivola was the weakest of the 3, although this is no slur on him as an actor, more poor scripting. The role of Dovid is a difficult one to pull off, as basically he has to be the stereotypical up-tight religious husband/man of faith, whilst fleshing out the different little minutiae within that. Although he does get the opportunity to do that towards the very end, sadly for me, his full circle was lacking some of the heft given to the two women & their journey.

The subject matter is handled sensitively, as well as the love scenes. One particular moment which stayed with me was the incredible singing at the hesped, inter-spliced with the tortured emotions of the three characters.

An excellent film & thoroughly recommended.