Most Unorthodox

It didn’t take long for Sebastián Lelio, the Chilean director of the Academy Award winning A Fantastic Woman, to begin to branch out internationally -by which I mean to English-language cinema with prominent English-language actors and crew. But he continues to be drawn to the subject matter of marginalized or suppressed sexual freedom with Disobedience, an adaptation of the novel by Naomi Alderman. Written by Lelio and Rebecca Lenkiewicz, it’s a film that does justice to, if not the novel, the themes and message it clearly wanted to relate.

Ronit Krushka (Rachel Weisz) returns home to London from New York after learning of the death of her father, an esteemed Orthodox Jewish rav (Anton Lesser). Having been ousted by the community for leaving the faith, her return is awkward for everyone except her childhood friends Dovid (Alessandro Nivola), her fathers’ successor, and his wife Esti (Rachel McAdams) who’d once been Ronits’ lover. But with her return, the womens’ feelings are reignited, causing trouble and drama within this strict conservative patriarchy.

Lelio and Lenkiewicz do an excellent job building the story through suggestion and nuance. Not a lot is explained at the outset, rather personal details and histories come up gradually as the film goes along in natural dialogue. Though the exact nature of Ronit and Esti’s prior relationship isn’t directly discussed until the second act, the striking sexual tension between them clues us in enough. Same for the reason Ronit initially left London. The characters are all written very realistically too, with none of the Orthodox figures coming off as exaggerations. They adhere to strict tradition and ideology but not at the expense of personality. In addition to the script, this movie is also shot very well and often in a way that emphasizes the mood. There’s a bleakness to a lot of the movie, which could just be an effect of being set in late winter in London, but it also reflects the dullness and repression of this Orthodoxy. Disorienting cinematography in select moments allows the audience to feel the disorientation and anxiety going through a characters’ mind, whether it be Ronit, Esti, or Dovid. And of course the intimate scenes between Ronit and Esti are shot very closely and passionately, while similar scenes between Esti and Dovid are restrained and detached.

The driving force of this movie though are the performances, particularly from Weisz and McAdams. Their chemistry is wonderful. Obviously it’s not as liberated or innate as other romances, but it makes perfect sense given these characters’ upbringing, and how long they’ve been apart. Their commitment is developed well and makes them a really endearing couple. Weisz’s performance is the best I’ve seen from her in a while, handling a lot of complex emotions she can’t quite vocally express. In addition to Esti being back in Ronit’s life, she’s also dealing with grief and the regret of not having made up with her father before his death. Her attempts to reconcile these conflicting feelings illustrate a fuller character. McAdams isn’t short-changed by this focus though and performs impeccably Esti’s own conflict. Though quieter about it, she holds Ronit’s modern feminist views on marriage and feminine agency, but feels a responsibility in the life she has and her vocation as a teacher. Her arc is more important, there are more stakes attached and its incredibly investing. Nivola is very good too, unlikeable and ignorant at times, but understandable when his history, both as the rav’s pupil and as a long-time close friend of the women, is taken into account.

If it has one, this movie’s weakness might just be that the plot itself is a little conventional. The forbidden lust story, usually between homosexuals, within the confines of a deeply traditional or religious environment is a popular type of drama fiction. Disobedience isn’t bad as far as these movies go, in fact it’s probably one of the best (though it’s title does recall the fake Robert Downey Jr. trailer from Tropic Thunder). And it’s worth noting that rather than being about sexual discovery in a prohibitive environment, it’s much more about freedom.

Yet any time a movie addresses homosexuality in a religious context like this it’s imparting an honourable message and call for change. Disobedience does that aptly by taking its audience into a world many of us may find alien, highlighting its traditions and attitudes, and commenting on where some of them may be out of touch and should evolve. But it’s not anti-religious by any means. And it’s made exceptional by its direction and writing, its cinematography and characterizations, and its performances, with Weisz and McAdams alike delivering among their finest. Disobedience further establishes Sebastián Lelio as a director to watch and is a quality film to see this Pride Month.

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