Genre: Romance/ Drama
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola, Anton Lesser, Allan Corduner
Description: Ronit (Rachel Weisz) returns to her Orthodox Jewish community that shunned her for her attraction to her female childhood friend Esti (Rachel McAdams). Once back, their passions reignite as they explore the
Review: A forbidden love between two women in an oppressive Orthodox Jewish Community. Based on a book by Naomi Alderman. At the start of “Disobedience” a rabbi explains why people are unique. They are the only beings with a free will, he claims. It means that they are the only ones that choose to be disobedient.
His daughter Ronit made a choice, with consequences. She got away from the Orthodox Jewish community and started a new life in New York, as a photographer. When her father dies and she returns to London for his funeral, she isn’t really welcome. Although no one will tell her that to her face. Ronit is an outcast, someone who has been erased from the community.
Why she chose the path that she did, we see later on in the film. There are uncomfortable meetings, especially with her former best friends Dovid and Esti, who are now married to each other. But when Esti kisses Ronit, we learn that this is story of a forbidden love between two women. The perspective shifts and a complicated love affair starts, where Esti is the one that has to make choices.
Director Sebastián Lelio creates his first English-language film with “Disobedience” and shows how oppressive the community is, with its dark color palette and disapproval at each street corner.
The actors perform solid, but somehow the love between Ronit and Esti doesn’t feel that passionate. Even with that somewhat uncomfortable love-making scene. I think it’s because the character of Ronit is more developed than Esti’s is.
“Disobedience” is an overlooked film, but it’s also pretty mediocre.
Rating: 2,5 / 5
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