Gett hinges on an Israeli law that might seem medieval to some: conventional marriages between Jews come under the jurisdiction of the rabbinical courts, not civil courts, and can only be dissolved when the husband presents his wife with a ‘gett’, a divorce document. In the hands of co-directors Ronit Elkabetz (who also co-stars) and Shlomi Elkabetz this legal loophole becomes the wellspring for rich drama.
Set within the courtroom and waiting rooms of a rabbinical court, the story unfolds over five years as Viviane (Ronit Elkabetz) and her lawyer
Carmel (Menashe Noy) try to persuade the court to compel Viviane’s stubborn husband Elisha (Simon Abkarian) to grant her a gett.
In work this stripped down, nearly everything depends on the actors, and thankfully the cast is composed of crack performers. Elkabetz and Akbarian are first among equals: their minute changes in expression speak volumes. It’s an altogether strange but astonishing work.
Leslie Felperin
The Hollywood Reporter
Please note that the festival is for over 18s only
