It’s been a real treat watching the growth of Disobedience’s 2 leading Rachels. Weisz started out headbutting mummies, but has slowly become a consistently intriguing artist always challenging herself, which is why she is an Oscar winner. McAdams had us questions the carbness of butter, and has become an Oscar nominee herself, really excelling dramatically when being called upon to do so. Disobedience calls both Rachels and their growing talents to team up with Alessandro Nivola to act the hell out of a story about human passion in a conservative society.
That society is a Jewish enclave in London. Ronit (Weisz) has returned home from her New York City existence to mourn the death of her father. She left behind her two best friends: Dovid (Nivola), a rising star in the religious community, and Esti (McAdams), Dovid’s wife. Dovid and Esti appear happy in public, however, Esti has some feelings towards Ronit she has kept buried for a long time that she plans to unleash upon Ronit’s return. This is where my dumb brain goes “SEXUAL FEELINGS!!!!!”
Seeing promotional material for this movie and even writing the paragraph above makes my eyes roll. This premise is so perfect for an Indie award consideration Ben Stiller made fun of it 10 years ago. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes going into the story, which is what makes Disobedience a delight. I was pretty sure Weisz’s woke Ronit was gonna pry the shy Esti out of her shell while Dovid increasingly lashes out at her, revealing his inner true nature and openly mocking the religion he pretends to serve. Writer/Director Sebastián Lelio makes some subtle changes to make the story fresh; Esti is not only the instigator of this scenario, but there’s no confusion about her feelings, so we don’t have to see the tortured innocent girl scene movies like this adore. In addition, Dovid never lashes out at Esti; he is a good man who is heartbroken, and doesn’t quite understand how to “help” his wife “get over” her feelings. Ronit is also portrayed as a sympathizer, wanting to mourn the loss of her dad and worrying about the untenable situation her former best friends find themselves in. These changes make the intrigue of the story built around the characters instead of tired story beats, and keep you guessing as to where the story will go. Yes, it’s still 20-30% too artistic for its own good, but Disobedience’s creative team clearly thought hard about the story, and can be forgiven because of the care devoted to the story they were telling.
None of Disobedience works without the 3 leads. I’ll get to the Rachel’s but first a tip of the kippot to Alessandro Nivola. The role of Dovid has to be built around inner turmoil and intrigue with a piece of mystery so we can be kept guessing about his true motivations. Nivola gives a delightfully understated performance, until his emotions come pouring out of him in the third act; the scene in temple is the emotional high point of the movie thanks to Nivola’s acting chops. The 2 Rachels are cast opposite my expectations. Weisz is the charming interloper, unafraid to hide her feelings or anything about herself to this buttoned up society. Yes, she’s beautiful and sexy, but Weisz keeps Ronit from becoming a symbol, and keeps her feelings grounded in reality. McAdams’s more recent dramatic work makes her well prepared to play a woman dying to be like Ronit. You feel the inner turmoil she has with wanting to leave the uptight society but cherishing the world she has built. Though the script hamstrings the painful decision she has to make in the third act with unnecessary plot devices, McAdams still makes the resolution pretty potent. Plus, McAdams and Weisz are so into each other here it’s intoxicating, making you feel bad for poor Dovid; dude had no shot.
I’m so very curious to see if Disobedience keeps the Rachels making movies together. Maybe this is the start of the Rachelverse! Up next in Disobedience II, Ronit and Esti are shocked when Dovid comes to California (where Ronit and Esti moved) with his new fiance, played by….none other than Rachel Bilson! That’s right, OC referenced earned. California, HERE WE COOOOOOMMMMEEEEE!!