Disobedience Blu-ray Review

THE MOVIE — 3.5/5

Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio is someone I’m not at all familiar with but based on what I saw with Disobedience, is a filmmaker who avoids going too dramatic and focuses more on being quiet and reflective. I genuinely did mostly like the movie but did feel it fell flat in terms on the emotional side than anything technical or acting.

The plot finds Ronit (RACHEL WEISZ) returning home to her small hometown following the death of her Orthodox Jewish rabbi father. There, she reconnects with childhood friends Dovis (ALESSANDRO NIVOLA) and Esti (RACHEL MCADAMS), now married. Ronit had been estranged from her father, and shunned by the community, following a forbidden tryst with Esti in their younger years, after which Ronit moves to New York becoming a photographer.

After Dovis invites Ronit to stay at his home, the mutual attraction between Ronit and Esti reignites and the romance once again blossoms and even when they’re caught, their relationship only ratchets up and they travel to London where they give in to their sexual desires.

Disobedience is a movie that, although might capture some attention for a steamy scene, at least by mainstream standards and involving two star actors, the film is more about the reconciliation not only between the two women, but for Ronit herself and a past that she left behind and vice versa (where even friend Dovis didn’t inform her of her father’s illness and ultimate passing).

What really made the film work is the performances from the three core actors. Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams were absolutely a delight —going beyond just the (albeit brave) sex scene — while Alessandro Nivola, even with playing a character devout in his faith, was a surprisingly dynamic character rather than just a thinly, one-dimensional, written foil.

The film was directed by, and co-scripted from a novel by Naomi Alderman, Sebastián Lelio and as I said in the opening, I’m unfamiliar with his previous works but with Disobedience, he takes a gentle while still pointed, tone with the material and subject.

This by no means perfect as I would’ve liked to have seen more of the dynamic between the three main characters and in the end, although both Weisz and McAdams were great together, I never really had an emotional attachment to the conclusion of their relationship.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5

This release comes with a glossy slip cover and… nothing else other than the usual Digital HD copy redemption code.

VIDEO – 4.0/5

AUDIO – 3.75/5

OVERALL – 3.0/5

Overall, Disobedience never exactly reaches the dramatic heights filmmaker Sebastián Lelio likely wanted, as I didn’t find it all that emotionally absorbing, but the performances from Weisz, McAdams and Nivola are all something to behold and well worth the cost of renting. The Blu-ray is a bit weak with no bonus features at all, while the video/audio transfers were decent enough.