Change Your Image
betterforever128
Reviews
Lemale et ha'halal (2012)
Best Yet
Except for the Jewish law that says a man is not allowed to marry 2 sisters (which Shira does point out when the match is suggested, but is never addressed further. Maybe he just can't marry two living sisters?), it is a perfect picture.
The insight, the mannerisms, the process and procedure, but especially the acting. The furtive staring at the Sabbath table, the awkward passing of the baby. The actions of every day Chassidic life display the characters deep feelings, completely forbidden overt expression and and yet all encompassing shared meaning.
Spoilers start here.
I think the film takes a very healthy position and respect for the question a woman's role in Chassidic society. I see the mother (Rivka) as very pushy and in control of everything in the house. She makes all the decisions and does not need to consult with her husband before making big moves. Shira is given many choices and her opinion is respected. Her mother pressures her as many mothers would but her father, aunt, and rabbi all recommend she make her own choice. Shira fails to define her own needs until after a failed secondary match. She discovers her own desire, and the value of her own feelings, which she was not in touch with when her first match was suggested. I don't think she is passive or pressured. I think she matures and grows as a character as the movie progresses. She learns that what she needs is not just a random bochur (boy) to be her husband but someone she really cares about.
As to the title, although Shira does end up filling the void in everyone's lives, Shira also becomes a complete person for herself. This is what the rabbi was referring to when he said she had to be honest and understand her emotions when he initially rejected the idea of her marrying Yochay. It is what she went on to express to her date whom she rejected on the grounds of needing to establish a home of honesty and truth. And being true to herself is how Yochay eventually convinced her to marry him.
The way the story is told reminds me of the realism of Russian literature. A story of meaning and feeling implied by actions and intensity often in contradiction to the words being used.
p.s.
After reading all of the other reviews I have noticed a couple of regular misunderstandings.
First the guy she has a date with after Yochay is not the boy from the grocery store who turned her down initially.
Secondly Frieda and the other red head are not Shira's sisters.