This movie shows the power of self determination. Wish more organizations would embrace this approach.

We see films about the evils of religion. We see films that feel like religious propaganda. How often do we see films that just put these elements out at face value? Such is the nature of Disobedience, a small but intriguing study of the clash between religious devotion and personal discovery. In the end, we learn that "right" and "wrong" often do not have a place in an adult world.Disobedience has a simple premise that allows the performances of Weisz, McAdams, and Nivola to soar. Three friends grew up in a traditional Jewish community in London, and one of those friends (Ronit, played by Weisz) rebelled and left to live in the United States, far from her religious affiliation. When Ronit's father dies, she returns to London to pay her respects. Her trip leads us to meet Dovid, the most interesting character in the film, and McAdams's Esti. The three characters have three different levels of religious devotion: Ronit has rebelled and is Jewish in background only, Dovid is an ambitious rabbi who conforms to all traditional Jewish rules, and Esti is somewhere in the middle. It may seem as if the character setup forces audience members to "side" with whichever character is closest to his or her personal level of faith, but the film has much more in store.Entertainment is not at the center of Disobedience. Dialogue takes a back seat as the camera and direction focus on facial expressions. Jewish customs are presented without exposition. Characters are sometimes unlikeable and at other times closed off. Most importantly, however, expectations are subverted. In many ways, Disobedience chooses to focus on the beauty of humanity rather than the terrible things that men do, and, while some audience members will leave unsatisfied with such optimism, many of us appreciated a film with real people for a change.

Very good, best movie I've seen this year so far.

Beautiful and deeply moving film. Performances by Rachel Mcadams, Rachel Weisz and Alessandro Nivola are gripping, soulful and honest. They gave so many layers to Esti, Ronit, and Dovid; each one fascinating. The film's themes resonated with me deeply (sexuality, faith, love and community). To me this movie is about affirming one's identity and ultimately, choosing a way of life that is true to who we are. Definitely spoke to my heart. Great cinematography, film score (shofar!) and of course, chemistry between the Rachels is breathtaking.

Really long drama about a forbidden love. I liked it. In particular (since I'm a member of the lgbt community) the raw relationship between the main characters and that love scene... Damnn

Weisz's performance is hypnotic, McAdam's is stunning. The slow burning performances will keep you at the edge of your seat, there is never a dull moment between Ronit and Esti. Leilo has really mastered the art of silence and meaningful glances. This is one queer film you won't want to miss.

Superb performances, a heart-wrenching story and a rare opportunity to see love between women portrayed onscreen in a mainstream movie.

Wonderfully acted, great script

Phenomenal film with an incredible cast. Cannot recommend enough.

Beautifully shot, intriguing movie-so intriguing that I found myself reading the book in order to make sense of it. And for good reason-the movie version wanders wildly from the original story.While I found much to like in this other version, PLEASE: can we stop playing out weird straight-man sex fantasies every time a film about gay women is shot? No, folks-it doesn't really work like that. The whole scene felt like it was included just for the leering man-boys in the audience.Worth seeing, but the book is MUCH better.

Very powerful movie, amazing cast, very real story written with subtleness. Great love story!

With this kind of star power, I could foresee Jewish lesbian romance genre film taking off in a big way. We aren't talking Blue is the Warmest Color levels of explicit erotic entertainment, but one could easily expect to see an uptick in Pornhub's search trends for the lead actresses' titillating scenes that lie herein. Yes, you get to see Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams break kosher without a sheet, but just like similar forbidden love stories like Brokeback Mountain, Carol, or Howard the Duck, the movie is much more than the sum of its private parts.Set in a very insular Orthodox Jewish community in London, Ronit (Weisz) returns to mourn the passing of her father, one of the most prominent Rabbis of her childhood home. As in many cases, her traditionalist extended family and the people that surrounded her father are all a bit shocked and perturbed by her arrival after she had made a clean break from her upbringing and culture years before. Her mere presence is insulting to some and welcomed by those who cared the most for her, namely Esti (McAdams), a former love interest who has married straight despite her homosexual leanings. Many awkward pauses and loaded looks ensue.Director Sebastian Lelio is no stranger to the clash between alternate lifestyles and how they play out in conservative family dynamics. After winning Best Foreign Picture at the Oscars last year for A Fantastic Woman, this seems a perfectly serviceable next step. Considering Lelio's Chilean (and presumably Catholic) background, the director does a fantastic job of inhabiting the liturgy and community of a culture and religion he hasn't lived within. Doubly surprising is how in both this and A Fantastic Woman he can help bring to life characters who do not fit into rigid social constructs and portray them in a tasteful, multifaceted way.Conceivably, one could place this story in the context of any other religious group. Aside from the candlesticks and hats, this could be a Mormon, Amish, or Southern Baptist group and they probably wouldn't miss a beat seeing as how most of the prevailing tenets of those faiths are predicated on a tradition that assumes it has what is best for family and culture yet fails to account for the ways of the world and how the moral zeitgeist shifts. You can't really pick up a book and prescribe to everyone a behavior set that goes against their basic biology, but when all you know, see, and have is structured around that book, is there really any free will for HaShem to judge you by?

super excellent film

this movie is perfect in every way. i've seen it three times and with each rewatch i picked up on things i hadn't noticed the time(s) before. the chemistry is palpable and intense, the history of the characters is completely believable, the pace is perfect, the technicalities (direction, camera work, etc) are exquisite, the storytelling is nothing but compelling, the subtleties present in every scene are brilliant (and showcase incredible acting, especially by the rachels), the utilization of visual and emotional contrasts was deeply meaningful.the dialogue was sparse and real and powerful, and i love that the film relied heavily on microexpressions and eye contact - it's a feat, certainly one not everyone can do well, but in this case it felt necessary and raw and honest and made the experience all the more moving. and the way the film portrayed esti's strength and agency in a way the book did not is something i appreciate immensely.i'm not jewish and therefore can't speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of this orthodox jewish community, but i have read that the author of the book (who was raised in a community like the one portrayed), as well as several other jewish and ex-orthodox jewish people, approve of the execution of the film's portrayal, so i trust it.there's a lot of talk about the sex scene between the rachels, which rachel weisz personally assisted with editing. i loved it. it, unlike the sex scene between esti and dovid, focused on pleasure instead of nudity. it was clear that with esti and dovid, esti was fully undressing out of obligation, and that her nudity and her body was for dovid's pleasure. her face during the scene hurt my heart. whereas with esti and ronit, the scene was solely focused on showcasing the pleasure on both of their faces. there was barely any nudity; instead it was all shaky breaths and moans and hands and glazed eyes. it was erotic, yes, but mostly it was highlighting the softness and communion between women who love women, which is the highest form of pure and holy human love, in my queer opinion. and the scene immediately following was delightfully tender and intimate.finally, the ending, while not classically happy or immediately gratifying, was hopeful. it made clear esti's and ronit's intention to be together in the future, as well as dovid's understanding. it also made clear that there was no villain, but rather that this story is about reconciling conflicting identities and choosing to embrace and nurture the identity that will bring the most fulfillment in life.overall: 12/10 would watch weekly for the rest of my life.

Loved this beautiful film. The acting is superb and nuanced and the story a metaphor for anyone who has had their choices of partners, work or family vilified, The Love affair / the longing - between these two women feels authentic and real. So glad this stunning novelMade it's way to the screen.