Disobedience
DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:
First of all, there’s an assertion that a lead character is mentally ill. It is true that when the exiled Ronit asks Esti how she was after she (Ronit) left, Esti says she was ill in her head. However, she is not indicating she has an ongoing mental disorder. She is like nearly 350 million people worldwide each year who experience a depressive episode, often triggered by a trauma. (a teenage girl caught in bed with her girlfriend by her orthodox rabbi who banishes the girlfriend and strives to “cure” her…yeah, that qualifies as a trauma)
Secondly, the writer gives the impression that the film ends definitively. On the contrary, one reason why “Disobedience” is so engaging is that the open-ended closing scenes allow us to interpret the outcomes for Ronit, Esti and the other lead, Dovid. There are only two things certain: Their lives are significantly altered (no one is going back to the way things were) and they are bound inextricably for life. All three will likely face challenges while carving out their futures, but there is no reason to assume they will live unhappily ever after. Actually, we have better reason to believe they will lead more authenic lives and that the women will continue coming to peace with what they have been suppressing.
And, third, it is a disservice to others to dismiss the film as depressing. I could only justify grading a film depressing if it offered no hope for the situation, characters or culture represented. “The Children’s Hour” is such a film for me. It sets out to show the devastating effects of malicious gossip; however, in the process a main character hangs herself, not because of the gossip but because she realizes it contains a truth— she is gay, which she views (like everybody else in the film) as unnatural, sick and dirty. Overall, the film indicates the best way to destroy a person’s life and reputation is to accuse her of being gay. Now, that’s depressing.
-sem
DVD Wholesale Main Features:
Actors: Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola
Directors: Sebastian Lelio
Writers: Sebastian Lelio, Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Producers: Rachel Weisz, Frida Torresblanco, Ed Guiney
Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: Spanish
Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: R-Restricted
Studio: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: July 17, 2018
Run Time: 115 minutes
ASIN: B07C5H8DRY
