Disobedience 2018

In a Jewish Orthodox Synagogue located in Hendon, the weakened Rav Krushka (Anton Lesser) collapses while delivering a sermon. As the funeral rites begin in London, his estranged daughter Ronit Krushka (Rachel Weisz) is leading her life as a photographer in Manhattan. In the midst of a photo shoot, she receives devastating news from the Brooklyn Synagogue about her father’s death, leading her to drown her sorrows in alcohol at a nearby bar, where she ends up sleeping with a stranger.

Ronit returns to London and immediately feels like an outsider in the Orthodox Jewish community she once called home. She is welcomed at the residence of Dovid Kuperman (Alessandro Nivola), a figure akin to family to the Rav, who is surprised by Ronit’s unexpected reappearance. However, her reception is not warm. Many in the community harbor resentment towards her for abandoning them, although her aunt Fruma Hartog (Bernice Stegers) offers a more cordial greeting. Tension brews between Ronit and her uncle Moshe Hartog (Allan Corduner), who informs her that the farewell for the Rav will be nothing but tumultuous, and Ronit is hurt and angered by her exclusion from her father’s illness and the misleading obituary declaring him childless.

Despite the frosty atmosphere following Ronit’s past, Dovid extends an invitation for her to stay at his home, where she discovers he is married to Esti Kuperman (Rachel McAdams), her former best friend and now a teacher at an Orthodox girls’ school. The air is thick with uncomfortable history between the two women. The following day, while visiting her father’s grave, Ronit and Dovid, along with Esti, join a dinner hosted by the Hartogs. During dinner, conversations probe Ronit about her successful photography career and her decision to use her anglicized name, “Ronnie Curtis,” raising eyebrows around the table. Esti unexpectedly comments on the transient nature of women’s identities, further igniting tension in the room.

Ronit’s bold assertions regarding the institution of marriage result in collective shock, prompting her to excuse herself to cope with her jet lag. Later, Dovid walks Ronit home, where she expresses her hopes that her father knew of her profound love for him. However, the struggles of religion prevent Dovid from providing her the comfort she desperately needs.

Ronit visits her uncle at his wig maker’s shop, seeking to discuss the sale of her father’s home, only to discover that all his belongings were left to the Synagogue. Shortly thereafter, she encounters Esti outside a supermarket, and they decide to visit the Rav’s dilapidated house together—filled with remnants of illness rather than memories of love, it becomes a site for Ronit to mourn not just a home but the desire for acknowledgment from her father. Their rekindled feelings arise as they share a kiss, but Ronit quickly withdraws, torn between her growing affection and confusion.

As Esti faces serious allegations from the community regarding her connection to Ronit, the two escape to central London, navigating their rekindled attraction amid the disapproval of their tight-knit community. Their passion culminates at a hotel, where they embrace their feelings and reminisce about the past. However, upon returning to their respective realities, they each grapple with the struggles of their decisions.

In a moment of vulnerability, Esti confesses to Dovid that she may be pregnant, impacting their fragile marriage. Conflicted emotions arise, and she seeks to find clarity about her future. Following a tumultuous evening filled with arguments and heartache, Ronit decides to return to New York but shares an emotional goodbye with Esti—which ends with a promising yet sorrowful kiss.

After some time, Esti returns to the synagogue, only to reveal her pregnancy announcement amidst a bleak atmosphere of judgment. Meanwhile, Ronit proposes the possibility of escape to New York, and the group shares a fateful hug during a compelling moment that illustrates the bonds of friendship and love. As Ronit prepares to leave for the airport, the final emotional encounters reveal the depth of feelings between the characters, and they navigate the journey of acceptance, longing, and the wish for freedom and choice in their intertwined lives.

In a poignant conclusion, Ronit takes a moment at her father’s grave—a symbolic act of closure—before leaving, ever aware of the complicated paths their lives have taken.