Late Marriage

 

 

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This movie focusses on the internal struggle faced by many young adults who are torn between parental pressures to adhere to age-old traditions, and changing societal values. Lives can be ruined when we succumb to parental and community pressures and forego true love. The movie contains one of the most erotic love scenes ever filmed, including full frontal nudity by the sexy macho Israeli hearthrob, Lior Ashkenazi. Although the context of this film is orthodox Judaism, anyone raised by parents who adhere to cultural traditions will be able to relate to the movie's universal theme, which is that love is more important than cultural traditions.

I too have no idea as to why others would compare this film to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Monsoon Wedding." It doesn't even come close to this film. "Late Marriage" may appear as an ethnic comedy at first but the film gradually grows to a melancholic drama, focusing on the main problem of the new generation of Georgian individuals - the dualism between their traditions and between their desires to join the modern society. Zaza (Lior Ashkenzai), who reflects this problem well, is an educated PhD. and yet, he finds it hard to fulfill his desires to marry a girl which is not from his Georgian tribe, for he knows the complications to come, and knows that he will fail in coping with them.

This movie doesn't seem like it should be that fantastic, as the tradition-versus-modernity relationship topic is well-trodden in foreign films to say the least, but I absolutely couldn't take my eyes off of this story. Zaza's parents steals most of the scenes in this film, both comically and tragically as a couple unable to fully confront the re-opening of their own relationship scars caused by witnessing their son's own struggle. The little girl playing Madonna is an excellent actress playing a child caught in an adult vortex she can neither fully understand nor escape. Meanwhile Lior Askenazi fills out his role rather nicely as the entangled groom-to-be, whose only escape from his unsolvable dilemma is to sink as deeply as possible into his aloof, impulsive persona. You can also see that he refuse to give up his long-term passionate affair with Judith (Ronit Elkabetz). In the middle of this there is a long scene of graphic sexual involvement between them, giving the impression of really making love and being in love complete with multiple orgasms and concern about contraception.

Some viewers simply didn't identify with Zaza or found him too "simple" in this story. What could be more complex than someone who lets what he loves be taken away from him? He unlocks the door to his lover's building so that his parents can come up and destroy his relationship. This is all too real, all too human.

I find the ending ingenious. Instead of a normal, fantastic movie ending, we are hit with realism. Other than that it's an enjoyable film to watch.

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