A “gett” is a divorce document that allows a woman in Israel to get a divorce. It is obtainable only through an orthodox rabbinical court, which holds enormous power. The difficulties for women to obtain a gett and divorce, particularly when her husband refuses to allow it, is depicted in Ronit und Shlomi Elkabetz’s drama GETT – THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM. The title and the stripped-down cinematography remind the viewer of Dreyer’s classic THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC. It is perhaps a bit presumptuous to compare a modern Israeli (and yes, GETT is set in the present day) with Joan of Arc, yet one can only describe director doch Ronit Elkabetz’s character Viviane as a martyr. The trial drags on for years, and the rabbis keep finding ways to postpone not in the interest of the law but only to protect the sanctity of marriage. When Viviane’s husband Elisha (Simon Abkarian) graciously offers to welcome his wife back home, the judges see this as the best possible solution. The sibling directors depict the suffering of a woman that is underpinned by moments of helplessness and speechlessness. It seems hard to believe that this archaic law exists in modern-day Israel, a country that claims to be the only democracy in the Middle East.

Michael Meyns