“Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem” got a boost Thursday (Dec. 12), when the Golden Globes selection committee nominated the Israeli movie as one of the five finalists for top honors in the best foreign-language film category.
As the title indicates, “Gett” deals with the lopsided Israeli divorce laws, which almost invariably favor the husband’s cause.
“Gett” is the latest in a trilogy, examining a woman’s struggle to divorce a husband who no longer loves her but who refuses to grant his wife a divorce.
The first segment, “To Take a Wife,” was released in 2004 and probed the frustrations encountered by the wife (portrayed by Ronit Elkabetz, who also co-directed) in her marriage.
“Shiva,” the second part, dealt with a death in the extended family, while “Gett” consists of the actual divorce trial before a rabbinical court.
“Gett” had not figured prominently in the early picks by odd makers for Golden Globe or Oscar honors, who have primarily put their money on the Polish entry “Ida.”
The sparse but powerful movie follows the evolution of a young novitiate in a Catholic convent who, as she is about to take her vows, discovers that she is the daughter of Jewish parents who perished in the Holocaust.
Also nominated and getting early critical acclaim is Russia’s “Leviathan,” which draws on the Book of Job to depict a simple Russian worker who struggles against the repression of a corrupt regime.
The two other nominated films are Sweden’s “Force Majeure” and Estonia’s “Tangerines.” Winners will be feted Jan. 11, 2015.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will not announce its nominees until Jan. 15, but it has already released a preliminary list of 10 short films, selected among 141 entries in that category.
Included is the Israeli film “Aya,” in which a young Israeli woman poses as a driver to pick up a Danish businessman at Ben-Gurion Airport.
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