Fill the Void Review

Posted 10 years ago by myetvmedia

Fill the Void is a fascinating window into the Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community and their marriage traditions. Expertly filmed, writer/director Rama Burshtein takes us on an emotional journey of loss, love, and familial obligation.

As one might expect from the title, Fill the Void is about a family’s attempt to recover from the loss of one of its members. Rocked by this unexpected tragedy, the family and community struggle to fill the void created by this bereavement.

From the film’s opening shots, Burshtein firmly establishes her skill as a storyteller, particularly in her ability to transport the audience into the emotional state of the characters. Claustrophobic close ups capture both the excitement and confinement of main character Shira’s roll within the insular community. The film opens as Shira and her mother search a crowded supermarket for a glimpse of Shira’s prospective husband. As the women observe the young man from a distance, the segregation between the sexes is poignantly emphasised.

In Orthodox Hasidic Judaism there is no greater event in a woman’s life than her wedding. However, these unions do not come though dating: rather, they are arranged by the parents of the parties involved with the help of a matchmaker. The bride and groom often share little more than a cursory meeting before becoming engaged. This environment of arrangement is the stage on which the film unfolds. When Shira’s older sister Esther tragically and unexpectedly dies—widowing her husband and orphaning her newborn child—the plans for Shira’s matrimonial arrangement are stalled. While the family is still reeling from the loss of their eldest daughter, a second tragic blow is delivered. Yochay, Ether’s widowed husband, is to leave Tel Aviv with their son to marry a widow in Belgium: a “match” deemed appropriate to the circumstances by the community. Frantic to keep her family together, Shira’s mother proposes an unconventional solution: that Shira should marry Yochay.

While the circumstances of the film may be unique, the large-scale issues addressed by Fill the Void are universal. Shira’s mother’s solution places the family’s future happiness on Shira’s shoulders. Her character elicits a tremendous amount of empathy as she struggles with her conflicting feelings; keeping her family together potentially at the cost of her own happiness.

Fill the Void boasts exceptional performances from all the cast members, in particular Hadas Yaron (Shira) and Yiftach Klein (Yochay). It is no surprise this film has garnered awards from almost every festival at which it has played. A well crafted film and incredible debut, Rama Burshtein is definitely a filmmaker to watch.

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