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Review: The Conflict of Institutional Faith Versus Individual Freedom in Disobedience

This film was seen at the 44th Seattle International Film Festival. The film is now in wide release in Seattle.

After a quick turn around from his Oscar winning film A Fantastic Woman, Sebastian Lelio is back with his latest feature: Disobedience. While his last film dealt with transgender prejudice set across the loss of loved one, Disobedience depicts a lesbian couple set against a religious institution that doesn’t approve of them. At the center of the film you have a couple who love each other and want to be apart of the community that raised them, but all the while feel rejected for who they are. What makes this film so special is how it shows nuances between the desire to be accepted by those who resent you while all the same wanting to leave and be yourself.

The film follows follows Ronit Krushka (Rachael Weisz) as she returns home after the unexpected death of her father. There the Jewish community she grew up with shuns her for the relationship she had in her youth with Esti Kuperman (Rachael McAdams), a a woman now married to a prominent Rabbi in the community. While paying her respects to her father, she reconnects with Esti and the two rekindle their relationship in the face of the institutional and social intolerance that aim to keep them apart and stifle their affection.

This movie is as if the third act of Moonlight was expanded into its own movie. As Ronit and Esti cross paths years later, we not only see how they react to each other, but also the conflicts they face when they upend the norms set before them in their daily lives. The story is set within an Orthodox Jewish community steeped in tradition and a major element of the film is exploring the relationship between Ronit and Esti and how their identities in the community are complicated by their lesbianism. The desire to feel like you belong, but all the while being pushed away is a dynamic that plays out over the course of the film as characters (particularly Esti) are pulled towards general acceptance and their true identity. 

While the film likes to align itself with Ronit for a majority of the film, the audience will find itself compelled by Esti’s character more often than not. Ronit has already found her own sovereignty; she moved away from her home, lives in New York, and doesn’t live under the rules of the Jewish religion like Esti. Her arc is more about reconciling her past with a community she still wants to have in her life, but which continually rejects her with each attempt she makes to reconnect, than attempting to declare her own freedom. That is not to say Ronit’s character is disinteresting, but rather the complexity on display with Esti’s character is much deeper. After their young romance, Esti has conceded to her religious life, giving up her love in exchange for communal acceptance. Her internal conflict is what really drives home the film’s message of institutional faith versus individual freedom and sexuality, plus it helps that Rachael McAdams gives a smashing performance that is well nuanced and multidimensional, and one that I cannot emphasize enough. 

While it is easy to dismiss those that resent you, Lelio is able to portray the emotions that tie you to home. You don’t want to give up on those you grew up with, but it’s hard to do so when those same people don’t like you for who you are. It’s a sophisticated notion, and while it can feel lumbering at times, Disobedience accurately depicts a lesbian relationship in the face of institutional rejection and does so with a level of care that helps create distinguished and nuanced themes from your regular romance.

3.75/5 Stars

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Review: A Surprisingly Fun Time with Game Night

In the shadow of Black Panther, Game Night has a tall task of luring audiences into its theater this weekend. After a initial trailer that left a lot to be desired, it would be easy to write this film off as another February comedy dumped in the early months of the year to clear space on Warner Bro’s shelf, but I have to admit, Game Night is one of the most pleasant surprises I’ve had in a long time. There is nothing spectacular in terms of thematic development, but come on, it’s a comedy. It’s more important that the film generates a few good laughs and this movie does them surprisingly well.

The film follows Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Racheal McAdams), a competitive couple who hosts weekly game nights at their home. One week Max’s brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) suddenly comes to town and hosts a game night of his own that promises thrills and excitement via a simulated kidnapping. But things go awry when their role playing game gets mixed in with Brooks’s real kidnapping, causing the group to spend the night enduring hijinks and antics in order to get Max’s brother back.

Jesse Plemons (Meth Damon) playing Gary with his dog Bastion

Everyone lends their comedic talents equally, but Jesse Plemon’s character steals the show. He is hands down, bar-none the best part of this film. He plays a stoic yet creepy neighbor who wants to participate in the game nights, but is left out because of his awkwardness, lack of skill, and his recently divorced status from a close friend of Max and Annie’s. Every scene Plemons is in is hilarious, striking the right balance between a sincere human being and a total psychopath. Most of the jokes stem from his inability to move on from his divorced wife, and when combined with his eerie nature and exclusion, you get a winning formula for some sadistic humor. His role is worth the watch alone (it’s that good), plus the credit sequence adds a nice touch to his character.

The jokes in the film are actually quite good and you’ll give a hearty laugh from time to time. The narrative sometimes feels like an empty vehicle to get to the next joke, but if I have to be frank, the audience isn’t here for the story, it’s here for the comedy. There are a few instances where the scene is structured around an overall punchline (namely a scene that involve’s Gary being distracted by the group while Max tries to access his computer), but it’s mostly just one liners, pop culture references, and physical humor that is overlaid on to sequential events to move the story along (and for the most part that’s ok). The plot is straightforward and the premise works well enough to keep you engaged throughout the run time of the film, and it functions so much better than I would of ever given it credit for which is a pleasant surprise.

Game Night is not a mind blowing film, but is certainly a fun film with a solid narrative and stand out comedic performances. It manages to shake the stigmas so many bad comedies have while retaining the elements that make films within the genre so enjoyable. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and in this instance, it couldn’t be more true.

Score: 3.25/5 Stars