Late Marriage
Encyclopedia
Late Marriage is a 2001
Israel
i film directed by Dover Kosashvili
. The film centers on Zaza (Lior Ashkenazi
, in his breakthrough role), the 31-year-old child of tradition-minded Georgian Jewish
immigrants who are anxiously trying to arrange a marriage for him. Unbeknownst to them, he is secretly dating a 34-year-old divorcée
, Judith (Ronit Elkabetz
). When his parents discover the relationship and violently intervene, Zaza must choose between his family traditions and his love.
Most of the main characters are Georgian-Israeli and the dialogue is partly in the Judaeo-Georgian language and partly in Hebrew.
The film was positively reviewed and was Israel's submission for Best Foreign Language Film in that year's Academy Awards
.
whose family is trying to arrange a marriage for him within the Georgian community. The film's beginning sees Zaza and his parents Yasha and Lili visiting the home of a possible match, who is still in high school. Zaza is clearly unenthusiastic and it is mentioned that he has seen dozens of prospective brides before this.
After dropping his parents off at their apartment building, Zaza drives to a pay phone and calls his girlfriend Judith (Ronit Elkabetz), a 34-year-old Moroccan-Israeli divorcée who he is dating without his parents' knowledge. After Judith's daughter Madona has gone to bed (Judith is unsuccessfully attempting to conceal the relationship from her), Zaza goes to her apartment and they have sex, in an explicit, naturalistic sequence.
Meanwhile, Zaza's parents find that they have left their housekey in Zaza's car and spend the night at the home of relatives Simon and Margalit. When Zaza doesn't answer repeated phone calls during the night, Yasha concludes that he is with Judith; apparently Yasha was aware of the relationship but Zaza had promised him that he would end it. Judith is unacceptable to Zaza's parents because she is divorced, has a child, and is older than Zaza. A number of Zaza's relatives stake out Judith's apartment building, planning to confront the couple and frighten Judith into leaving Zaza.
The next time Zaza visits Judith they do just this, barging into Judith's apartment and attempting to break up the relationship through polite argument, humiliation, and threats of violence, as Madona (who Judith has finally introduced to Zaza) watches, frightened. At one point Simon takes down a decorative sword hanging on Judith's wall and holds it to her throat. Zaza and Judith say little, and eventually Zaza unconvincingly tells Judith that the relationship is over and leaves with his family. Zaza returns shortly after and attempts to resume the evening where it left off, but Judith quietly tells him that she doesn't want to see him again. Back at his apartment, Zaza has a further confrontation with his parents.
Some time later Zaza's parents return to Judith's apartment building. When Judith comes home, Lili approaches her and gives Madona a teddy bear as a peace offering, while Yasha stays in the car. Inside the apartment, Lili asks Judith if she has seen Zaza. Judith initially says that she hasn't, but soon she tearfully admits that Zaza has been calling her and begging her to marry him. Judith has refused because Zaza's reaction when his family invaded her apartment made her realize that "he loves you more than me," and she has decided the relationship is bad for all concerned. Back in the car, Yasha asks Lili if she will accept Judith as a wife for Zaza. Lili, now more sympathetic toward Judith, tells him that they should wait and see if Zaza gets over her.
The next scene opens with Zaza and Yasha standing next to each other at urinals in a public restroom. It becomes clear that they are at Zaza's wedding reception, and Zaza is drunk. Zaza returns to the reception hall and gives a long, awkward, repetitive speech, while his new wife—who is not Judith—stands uncomfortably by his side. Eventually he tells the guests that he "has a woman more beautiful than my wife," and drags Simon onstage to ask him to confirm this. Simon defuses the situation by acting as though Zaza was referring to his mother, and Zaza plays along, embracing Lili when Simon brings her onstage. The film ends with Zaza and his bride dancing with the rest of his family.
Lili Kosashvili, who plays Zaza's mother Lili, is the director's mother.
section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
.
Late Marriage was positively received by critics. Metacritic
, which calculates a score from zero to 100 from a film's reviews, gave it a score of 82, translating to "Universal acclaim." Late Marriage was placed at 88 on Slant Magazine
's best films of the 2000s.
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i film directed by Dover Kosashvili
Dover Kosashvili
Dover Kosashvili is an Israeli film director and screenwriter of Georgian descent. He has directed five films since 1998. His film Late Marriage was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival....
. The film centers on Zaza (Lior Ashkenazi
Lior Ashkenazi
Lior Ashkenazi , is an award-winning Israeli screen and stage actor.- Biography :Lior Ashkenazi was born to Sephardi Jewish immigrants from Turkey who moved to Israel in 1964. He grew up in the Neveh Yehoshua neighborhood in Ramat Gan. His father, Shmuel, worked as a printer. His mother, Victoria,...
, in his breakthrough role), the 31-year-old child of tradition-minded Georgian Jewish
Georgian Jews
The Georgian Jews are from the nation of Georgia, in the Caucasus...
immigrants who are anxiously trying to arrange a marriage for him. Unbeknownst to them, he is secretly dating a 34-year-old divorcée
Divorcee
Divorcee, refers to a person whose marriage has ended in divorce, a legal dissolution of marriage before death by either spouse. The feminine form is "divorcée", and the masculine "divorcé". At one time the term had negative cultural and religious associations...
, Judith (Ronit Elkabetz
Ronit Elkabetz
Ronit Elkabetz is an Israeli actress and filmmaker. She works in both Israeli and French cinema. She has won three Ophir Awards and has received a total of seven nominations.- Biography :...
). When his parents discover the relationship and violently intervene, Zaza must choose between his family traditions and his love.
Most of the main characters are Georgian-Israeli and the dialogue is partly in the Judaeo-Georgian language and partly in Hebrew.
The film was positively reviewed and was Israel's submission for Best Foreign Language Film in that year's Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
.
Synopsis
Zaza (Lior Ashkenazi) is a 31-year-old Georgian-Israeli Ph.D. student at Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
whose family is trying to arrange a marriage for him within the Georgian community. The film's beginning sees Zaza and his parents Yasha and Lili visiting the home of a possible match, who is still in high school. Zaza is clearly unenthusiastic and it is mentioned that he has seen dozens of prospective brides before this.
After dropping his parents off at their apartment building, Zaza drives to a pay phone and calls his girlfriend Judith (Ronit Elkabetz), a 34-year-old Moroccan-Israeli divorcée who he is dating without his parents' knowledge. After Judith's daughter Madona has gone to bed (Judith is unsuccessfully attempting to conceal the relationship from her), Zaza goes to her apartment and they have sex, in an explicit, naturalistic sequence.
Meanwhile, Zaza's parents find that they have left their housekey in Zaza's car and spend the night at the home of relatives Simon and Margalit. When Zaza doesn't answer repeated phone calls during the night, Yasha concludes that he is with Judith; apparently Yasha was aware of the relationship but Zaza had promised him that he would end it. Judith is unacceptable to Zaza's parents because she is divorced, has a child, and is older than Zaza. A number of Zaza's relatives stake out Judith's apartment building, planning to confront the couple and frighten Judith into leaving Zaza.
The next time Zaza visits Judith they do just this, barging into Judith's apartment and attempting to break up the relationship through polite argument, humiliation, and threats of violence, as Madona (who Judith has finally introduced to Zaza) watches, frightened. At one point Simon takes down a decorative sword hanging on Judith's wall and holds it to her throat. Zaza and Judith say little, and eventually Zaza unconvincingly tells Judith that the relationship is over and leaves with his family. Zaza returns shortly after and attempts to resume the evening where it left off, but Judith quietly tells him that she doesn't want to see him again. Back at his apartment, Zaza has a further confrontation with his parents.
Some time later Zaza's parents return to Judith's apartment building. When Judith comes home, Lili approaches her and gives Madona a teddy bear as a peace offering, while Yasha stays in the car. Inside the apartment, Lili asks Judith if she has seen Zaza. Judith initially says that she hasn't, but soon she tearfully admits that Zaza has been calling her and begging her to marry him. Judith has refused because Zaza's reaction when his family invaded her apartment made her realize that "he loves you more than me," and she has decided the relationship is bad for all concerned. Back in the car, Yasha asks Lili if she will accept Judith as a wife for Zaza. Lili, now more sympathetic toward Judith, tells him that they should wait and see if Zaza gets over her.
The next scene opens with Zaza and Yasha standing next to each other at urinals in a public restroom. It becomes clear that they are at Zaza's wedding reception, and Zaza is drunk. Zaza returns to the reception hall and gives a long, awkward, repetitive speech, while his new wife—who is not Judith—stands uncomfortably by his side. Eventually he tells the guests that he "has a woman more beautiful than my wife," and drags Simon onstage to ask him to confirm this. Simon defuses the situation by acting as though Zaza was referring to his mother, and Zaza plays along, embracing Lili when Simon brings her onstage. The film ends with Zaza and his bride dancing with the rest of his family.
Cast
- Lior AshkenaziLior AshkenaziLior Ashkenazi , is an award-winning Israeli screen and stage actor.- Biography :Lior Ashkenazi was born to Sephardi Jewish immigrants from Turkey who moved to Israel in 1964. He grew up in the Neveh Yehoshua neighborhood in Ramat Gan. His father, Shmuel, worked as a printer. His mother, Victoria,...
as Zaza - Ronit ElkabetzRonit ElkabetzRonit Elkabetz is an Israeli actress and filmmaker. She works in both Israeli and French cinema. She has won three Ophir Awards and has received a total of seven nominations.- Biography :...
as Judith - Moni MoshonovMoni Moshonov-Biography:Shlomo Moshonov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1951. He immigrated to Israel with his family at the age of four.His father, Moshe, who studied law in Sofia, sold textiles in the Ramla market. Moshonov grew up in Ramla. He did his military service in an IDF entertainment troupe...
as Yasha - Lili Kosashvili as Lili
- Aya Steinovitz as Ilana
- Rosina Kambus as Magouly
- Simon Chen as Simon
- Sapir Kugman as Madona
- Dina Doron as Luba
- Leonid Kanevsky as Otary
- Livia Chachmon Ayaliy as Margalit
- Eli Turi as Bessik
- Maria Ovanov as Lali
Lili Kosashvili, who plays Zaza's mother Lili, is the director's mother.
Reception
The film was screened in the Un Certain RegardUn Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
2001 Cannes Film Festival
The 2001 Cannes Film Festival started on May 14 and ran until May 25. The Palme d'Or went to the Italian film The Son's Room by Nanni Moretti.-Jury:* Liv Ullmann, President * Mimmo Calopresti * Charlotte Gainsbourg...
.
Late Marriage was positively received by critics. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which calculates a score from zero to 100 from a film's reviews, gave it a score of 82, translating to "Universal acclaim." Late Marriage was placed at 88 on Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's best films of the 2000s.
Awards
- Won the "Best Film" at the 2001 Awards of the Israeli Film Academy.
- The film was Israel's submission for the 74th Academy Award for Best Foreign Film (it was not nominated).