Just yesterday I posted my review of Sebastian Lelio’s wonderful trans drama, A Fantastic Woman, not that he needed my praise added to the cacophony of acclaim it’s received. The Chilean filmmaker hasn’t slowed down to bask in its success as an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language film; instead he’s busy shooting a remake of his breakout movie Gloria, while preparing for the release of Disobedience, which debuted at TIFF last year and now has a trailer.
Starring my two favorite Rachels, McAdams and Weisz, the film is tonally very different from either Gloria or A Fantastic Woman. It centers on Ronit and Esti, two women in an Orthodox Jewish community who share a forbiden romance. Years after Ronit has been forced out, she returns home and finds the passion between her and Esti hasn’t diminished, which causes problems in her former lover’s new life.
I remember hearing about this one and the complexity of its narrative which isn’t just a straight indictment of religion and the conservative mindset. There may not be a director around who is doing richer, deeper dramas about women than Lelio is right now.
Disobedience opens April 27th.
