TIFF: Disobedience focuses on Lesbian Romance in Orthodox Jewish community

Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz in Disobedience.

Disobedience is one of the many films to make its world premiere at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival.  It’s also one to hit close to home in that it is set within an Orthodox Jewish community involves a same-sex romance.

Directed by Sebastián Lelio from a screenplay by Lelio and Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the film stars Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola.  The film is an adaptation of the award-winning novel of the same name by Naomi Alderman.

Weisz stars as Ronit Krushka, the daughter of a prominent rabbi in London’s Orthodox Jewish community. Currently estranged from him and living in New York’s Upper West Side where she has since left the Orthodox community, Ronit returns to London after his death with a mission to get her mother’s Shabbas candlesticks.  It’s in London where she re-connects with her cousin, Dovid Kuperman (Nivola), and his wife, Esti (McAdams), her childhood sweetheart.  With their romance rekindled, she soon becomes a threat.

According to Variety, distributors have been announced for many territories with the exception of the United States.

Disobedience has been acquired by Curzon Artificial Eye for the U.K., Roadshow for Australia, Mars for France, Cinema SRL for Italy, Lev for Israel, and Pathe for Switzerland.

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group (SPWAG) has acquired multiple territories including Germany, Spain, Japan, CIS, South Korea, Benelux, Latin America, Greece, Portugal, Portugal, Turkey, all of Asia and South Africa.

The TIFF schedule for showtimes will not be announced until August 22, 2017.  The only known release date is May 4, 2018, in the United Kingdom.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.

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