Fill the Void was
one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. It was shown as a spotlight
film at Sundance under the category of World Drama. Shot almost entirely in
close-ups, I felt I was a member of this Orthodox Jewish family in Tel-Aviv
experiencing their dramas and feeling their emotions. The audience is
transported to a community of deep-seated tradition with strict social codes
that direct the way men and women interact with each other.
Directed by Rama Burshtein, this is a story about an
18-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl, Shira, who lives a sheltered life and is
expected to marry the person her parents choose for her. Shira’s older sister
is married and about to have a child. When tragedy strikes, Shira's mother
wants her younger daughter to marry her deceased daughter's husband so her
newborn grandchild can remain in the family. When she made this suggestion
known to her son-in-law, since there was talk that he would marry another woman
who lives in Belgium, he thought it absurd and refuses. Shira's previously
arranged marriage proposal disintegrates and after some consideration her
brother-in-law offers to take her as his wife. Shira feels trapped. She wants
to do what people expect of her, but cannot help desiring a marriage that is
born out of affection and love rather than necessity. She accepts, pleasantly
but with complete indifference. When they go before the Rabbi to make their
intention known, he looks intently at Shira and asks what her feelings are
about the matter. The scene changes before we know what she actually replies,
but we next see her crying and her brother-in-law fuming in anger. After
several on-again off-again marriage arrangements with her former
brother-in-law, she begins to dig deeper into her own feelings and discover
that which would truly give her joy and peace.
This film is about relationships and family traditions, but
it is also about the struggle one experiences in choosing a path in life. It
addresses the need to weigh family expectations with one’s happiness and
contentment. There is a longing for oneness, for completion, for human
connection and love. We cannot live without it. We all desire it. We all long
for it. This is the longing that only God can ultimately fulfill. That is the
desire for the supernatural, for intimacy, for wholeness and meaning. God is directing our lives and
works with the choices we make. But, in our interior discernment, the choices
that give us the most peace are the choices that are not solely about
satisfying ourselves but are about giving of ourselves in love.
1 comment:
Sounds like a great choice for a movie night/discussion. Thanks for the review.
Mimi
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