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Disobedience (2017 film)

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Disobedience
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySebastián Lelio
Screenplay by
Based onDisobedience
by Naomi Alderman
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDanny Cohen
Edited byNathan Nugent
Music byMatthew Herbert
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 10 September 2017 (2017-09-10) (TIFF)
  • 27 April 2018 (2018-04-27) (United States)
  • 30 November 2018 (2018-11-30) (United Kingdom)
Running time
114 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • Ireland
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million[2]
Box office$8.0 million[3]

Disobedience is a 2017 romantic drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio and written by Lelio and Rebecca Lenkiewicz, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Naomi Alderman. The film stars Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, and Alessandro Nivola. Set in North London, it tells the story of a woman who returns to the strict Orthodox Jewish community for her father's funeral after living in New York for many years, having been estranged from her father and ostracised by the community for a reason that becomes clearer as the story unfolds. The film was produced by Weisz, Ed Guiney, and Frida Torresblanco.

Disobedience had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2017. It was released in the United States on 27 April 2018, by Bleecker Street and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 30 November 2018, by Curzon Artificial Eye.

The film received some positive reviews, with critics praising the performances of Weisz, McAdams, and Nivola, Lelio's direction, and the screenplay. It was nominated for the British Independent Film Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, and Dorian Awards for Best Picture.

United Kingdom rating company British Board of Film Classification has rated the movie 15 (for strong sex).[4]

Plot

The old Rav Krushka succumbs to illness while delivering a sermon on free will to his Orthodox Jewish congregation in North London. Ronit, the Rav's estranged daughter who lives and works in New York as a photographer, returns to London.

Ronit arrives at the home of her childhood friend, Dovid Kuperman, a chosen disciple of her father, as members of her father's congregation pay their respects to the deceased. Ronit fails to fit in, behaving in a manner not conforming to Orthodox culture. Despite his surprise at Ronit's visit, Dovid insists she stay with him. Ronit is surprised to discover that Esti, a childhood friend to both of them, is now Dovid's wife.

Ronit reads her father's obituary in the local Jewish paper which says that he died with no children. Ronit visits his grave and sees three young Shomer. Dovid teaches students the Torah. That night Esti and Dovid have sex.

Ronit and her two friends attend Shabbat dinner at Ronit's uncle's house. Ronit tries to ask her uncle about selling the house but he says they cannot discuss business on the Sabbath. Ronit is questioned by the other party guests about changing her name and is told to take her mother's candlesticks so she may one day give them to her children. One of the guests tells Ronit that she should get married because it is what should be done. Ronit says that if she had stayed here she probably would have been married off, but she would have been suicidal. She leaves to walk home, joined by Dovid and Esti, and talk about her father.

Ronit visits her uncle Moshe at his office in the back of a Sheitel shop to discuss the disposition of her father's house, but discovers her father has left all of his possessions to the synagogue, and is only allowed in the house to retrieve personal items. Esti accompanies her, and after the two women reminisce about their memories of the Rav's house, Esti tenderly kisses Ronit, who initially resists before reciprocating. Esti confesses to having asked Ronit to be notified of her father's death out of a desire to see her again.

Esti reveals her unhappiness with her life choices, taken based on the Rav's advice and her strong belief in HaShem. After being caught in a romantic tryst resulting in Ronit's departure from the community, neither Ronit or Esti have been with other women. While Ronit is bisexual, Esti admits that she is a lesbian.[5] On the way home, they stop at a nearby park and kiss under the same tree where Esti first kissed Ronit. They stay out at night and kiss again in an empty tennis court, but are spotted by a couple from the congregation. Esti walks away unseen, but the couple identify Ronit and suspect that the other woman was Esti. Ronit unconvincingly denies this.

The next day, Esti, who works as a teacher at the local Jewish school, is called into the headmistress' office after the couple deliver a complaint about Esti and Ronit's behaviour. At the synagogue, Dovid is asked to take over the Rav's duties. He is warned about Ronit, but insists that he keeps his house in order. Meanwhile, Ronit tells a shaken Esti that she is leaving the next day, without attending her father's hesped. The two of them sneak away to a hotel room in central London for passionate sex. After, Esti tells Ronit that she thought of her often, imagining her New York apartment and keeping track of the time difference. Esti brings up the memory of Rav Krushka walking in on them when they were young girls. Ronit says she regrets never taking his portrait. Ronit then tells Esti that she wants to take her picture. Esti is initially shy but poses with Ronit's cigarette. Dovid arrives home after dark and searches for Esti. He first checks their bedroom, then Ronit's guest room.

Esti arrives home later and apologizes. Dovid tries to initiate intimacy but Esti refuses to engage in sex with him. The next morning Esti feels sick. Later that morning Dovid informs Esti that Mrs. Shapiro had made a formal complaint, and he asks her to tell him the truth. Esti confesses that she kissed Ronit and how she feels about Ronit, but Dovid denies this and says that Ronit is taking advantage of her. Esti responds that it has always been this way and that she had always wanted it to happen. Dovid leaves. Esti finds that Ronit has heard the whole argument. Ronit says that she thinks Esti should leave Dovid. Esti responds that she has no place to go.

Dovid attends to his duties at the synagogue, clearly preoccupied. At dinner that night, Ronit announces that she has booked a flight and is leaving that night without attending the hesped. Dovid says that it is good. Ronit leaves and gets a cab to the airport. After Dovid is asleep Esti goes to a drugstore and purchases a pregnancy test. Later in a hotel room, she begins Shuckling against a cabinet and crying.

Ronit wakes up in the airport and is about to board her flight when Dovid calls her and reports that Esti is missing. Ronit and Dovid search Rav Krushka's empty house for Esti. Ronit searches alone in the park where they first kissed. Ronit and Dovid return to his home at night to find Esti already there. She reveals that she is pregnant, but she wants the freedom to give her unborn child a chance to decide whether or not to be part of their community. Dovid leaves.

Ronit and Esti attend the Rav's hesped, which is to be given by Dovid in front of the entire congregation. Dovid sees them entering together and is visibly shaken. After the opening Zemirot, Ronit invites Esti to come live with her in New York. Dovid begins to speak but is unable to follow his prepared text. Instead, he points out that Ronit, the Rav's only child, is attending the service. He reminds the congregation of the sermon the Rav was delivering on the freedom to choose right before he died. During the speech, under the guise of addressing the congregation, he releases Esti from their marriage, then publicly turns down the offer of becoming the congregation's new spiritual guide. Esti finds him outside and they embrace. Dovid motions for Ronit to join in their embrace, finally reconciling their old friendship. Ronit and Esti each rest their heads on one of Dovid's shoulders and clasp hands behind his back.

The next morning, Dovid awakens alone in his bedroom. Esti has slept downstairs on the couch. Ronit is ready to fly back to New York. When her taxi arrives, she says her goodbyes, wishing Dovid and Esti each a long life. As Ronit's cab is driving away, Esti chases after her. She gives Ronit a final kiss. Ronit says to Esti that she will be a beautiful mother. They tell each other 'I love you' and they promise to keep in touch once Esti has decided where she will live. Ronit makes a detour to her father's grave to bid him a final goodbye and take a picture of his grave.

Cast

Production

Development

On 29 September 2016, it was reported that Rachel Weisz was set to produce[2] and star in an adaptation of the Naomi Alderman novel Disobedience; with Ed Guiney and Frida Torresblanco as co-producers, and Sebastián Lelio directing from a script by Lelio and Rebecca Lenkiewicz.[6] On 4 October 2016, Rachel McAdams joined the cast,[7] followed by Alessandro Nivola as McAdams's husband on 7 December 2016.[8] The film was co-financed by Film4 Productions and FilmNation Entertainment.[9] Matthew Herbert joined the production to compose the film score.[10]

Filming

Principal photography on the Irish-British-American production began on 3 January 2017.[9] Filming locations in London included Golders Green,[11] Cricklewood[12] and Hendon.[13]

Release

In May 2017, Curzon Artificial Eye acquired U.K. distribution rights from FilmNation Entertainment, and international distribution rights were acquired by Roadshow (Australia), Mars Films (France), Cinema SRL (Italy), Lev Films (Israel), Pathé (Switzerland), and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions for various territories.[14] Bleecker Street acquired the U.S. distribution rights in September 2017,[15] and Mongrel Media acquired the rights for Canada.[16]

Disobedience had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2017.[17][18] The film premiered in the United States at the Tribeca Film Festival in the Spotlight Narrative section on 24 April 2018.[19][20][21] The film was released theatrically in the U.S. as a limited release on 27 April 2018,[22][23] in Australia on 14 June[24] and on 30 November in the United Kingdom.[25][26]

The United Kingdom rating company British Board of Film Classification has rated the movie 15 (for strong sex).[4] By contrast the German rating company FSK has rated the movie FSK 0 (released without age restriction).[27]

Reception

Box office

Disobedience grossed $3.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $4.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $8.0 million.[3]

The film debuted in five cinemas in New York City and Los Angeles and made $241,276 in its opening weekend (a per-venue average of $48k), ranking as the fourth-best opening average for the year to that point, after Isle Of Dogs ($60k), Avengers: Infinity War ($55k) and Black Panther ($50k).[28]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 208 reviews, and an average rating of 7.20/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Disobedience explores a variety of thought-provoking themes, bolstered by gripping work from leads Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, and Alessandro Nivola."[29] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30]

Andrew Barker of Variety gave the film a positive review, writing that Disobedience "may not catapult Lelio beyond the arthouse world, but it's yet another triumph in what's shaping up to be a major career."[31] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review writing, "Beautifully acted by Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola as the three points of a melancholy romantic triangle, this is a deeply felt drama that exerts a powerful grip."[32]

Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, describing it as "a gorgeously acted, written and directed spellbinder ... that never preaches or judges. Without dialogue, Lelio creates a whole world that can be read eloquently and movingly on the faces of two superb actresses who give unstintingly to its creation."[33]

David Ehrlich from IndieWire praised the importance of the subject, the outstanding acting and good direction, saying: "A fraught and emotionally nuanced love story about the tension between the life we’re born into and the one we want for ourselves.... Both Weisz and McAdams do a phenomenal job of negotiating who their characters are versus who their characters feel as though they have to be.... Lelio builds to a beautiful and powerfully ambiguous moment that brings all the major characters together."[34]

Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian praised the performances, direction, and score saying, "Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola are at the top of their game.... The drama is expertly controlled by Lelio, lit and shot in muted and subdued colour tones by cinematographer Danny Cohen and it has a very interesting musical score by Matthew Herbert.... This is richly satisfying and powerfully acted work."[35]

Accolades

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient/nominee Result Ref
British Independent Film Awards 2 December 2018 Best British Independent Film Sebastián Lelio, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Frida Torresblanco, Ed Guiney, Rachel Weisz Nominated [36][37]
Best Screenplay Sebastián Lelio / Rebecca Lenkiewicz Nominated
Best Actress Rachel Weisz Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Alessandro Nivola Won
Best Supporting Actress Rachel McAdams Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "DISOBEDIENCE". Stage6.
  2. ^ a b Turner, Kyle (27 April 2018). "Weisz Beyond Her Years: From Optioned Novel to Arthouse Drama, Rachel Weisz Nurtured Disobedience at Every Stage". MovieMaker. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Disobedience". Box Office Mojo. April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b "DISOBEDIENCE | British Board of Film Classification". bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  5. ^ Emme, Nicholas (17 May 2018). "Movie Review: "Disobedience" reveals an illicit love". Style Weekly.
  6. ^ Kroll, Justin (29 September 2016). "Rachel Weisz to Produce and Star in Adaptation of Naomi Alderman Novel 'Disobedience' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  7. ^ Kroll, Justin (4 October 2016). "Rachel McAdams to Star With Rachel Weisz in Love Story 'Disobedience' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  8. ^ Hipes, Patrick (7 December 2016). "Alessandro Nivola In Talks To Join Rachel Weisz & Rachel McAdams In 'Disobedience'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (27 October 2016). "FilmNation, Film4 team on 'Disobedience'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  10. ^ filmmusicreporter (28 July 2017). "Matthew Herbert Scoring Sebastian Lelio's 'Disobedience'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  11. ^ Tizianita (15 September 2019). "Disobedience at Hoop Lane - filming location - SCEEN IT". SCEEN IT. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  12. ^ Raffray, Natalie (9 January 2017). "Film crews descend on Cricklewood to shoot big budget movie Disobedience". Brent & Kilburn Times. Archant Community Media. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  13. ^ St Morris, Michelle (5 February 2017). "Hey, film stars, we're frum, not frumps". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  14. ^ Hopewell, John (23 May 2017). "Cannes: FilmNation Sells Out Internationally on 'Disobedience,' Untitled Julianne Moore Project (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  15. ^ Galuppo, Mia (27 September 2017). "Bleecker Street Picks Up 'Disobedience' Starring Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  16. ^ Mongrel Media [@MongrelMedia] (1 February 2018). "Sebastián Lelio (A Fantastic Woman, Gloria) directs Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams in this adaptation of Naomi Alderman's novel about a woman who returns home to her orthodox Jewish community in London and rekindles a romance with her cousin's wife. DISOBEDIENCE opens MAY 2018!" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 May 2018 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ "Disobedience". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 27 November 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  18. ^ Toronto International Film Festival [@TIFF_NET] (10 September 2017). "A shining Rachel Weisz, here for the #TIFF17 World Premiere of Sebastián Lelio's lesbian romance DISOBEDIENCE" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 April 2018 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ "Disobedience". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  20. ^ Yoshida, Emily; Edelstein, David (18 April 2018). "17 Films You Should See at This Year's Tribeca Film Festival". Vulture. New York Media. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  21. ^ @tribeca (7 March 2018). "#Tribeca2018's Spotlight Narrative section is a launching pad for exciting new independent premieres with a focus on marquee filmmakers and performers. This year, we are honored to showcase artists like @DesireeeAkhavan, @SLelio, @MariannaPalka, and more" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 September 2018 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Brooks, Brian (26 April 2018). "Tribeca Bow 'Disobedience' Hits Theaters; Claire Denis & Juliette Binoche 'Let The Sunshine In' – Specialty B.O. Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  23. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (26 October 2017). "Bleecker Street Sets Release Dates For 'What They Had', 'Disobedience' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  24. ^ "Australian Release Dates – Upcoming Movies and Cinema Schedules". The Reel Bits. June 2018. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  25. ^ "Disobedience". Launching Films. Film Distributors' Association. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  26. ^ Curzon Artificial Eye [@ArtificialEye] (8 May 2018). "Hi there, we'll release Disobedience in the UK on 30 November. It is a little later than in other territories, but we always pick the best date we can to give a film the best chance to be seen" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 May 2018 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ "Official and signed FSK document of rating movie DISOBEDIENCE".
  28. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (29 April 2018). "'Avengers: Infinity War' Conquering 'Force Awakens' With Record $248M-$250M Opening; Posts Record $82M Saturday". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  29. ^ "Disobedience". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  30. ^ "Disobedience". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  31. ^ Barker, Andrew (11 September 2017). "Toronto Film Review: 'Disobedience'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  32. ^ Rooney, David (10 September 2017). "'Disobedience': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  33. ^ Travers, Peter (26 April 2018). "'Disobedience' Review: Forbidden-Love Romance Is Scorching – and Feast For Its Stars". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  34. ^ Ehrlich, David (11 September 2017). "'Disobedience' Review: Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams Shine in the Orthodox Jewish 'Carol'". IndieWire. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  35. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (10 September 2017). "Disobedience review – Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams impress in powerful love story". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  36. ^ "Nominations: The Awards 2018". British Independent Film Awards. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  37. ^ Clarke, Stewart (2 December 2018). "'The Favourite' Reigns at British Independent Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
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