Jan 2022. tough to say, it was quite good, but then the last scene left a sour taste that wiped out all earlier good feelings from prior scenes.

Arranged marriage in the modern era is such a ripe field for real-world drama. This dryly funny tragedy is like a subtler "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", only with the incessant smiling replaced with a mixture of natural sexiness and imprisoning mercilessness. A film that is as painful as it is engaging, it works as a harsh reminder that tradition without reason brings unneeded pain. Double feature suggestion: this, followed by Elkabetz's post-arranged-marriage tour de force "Gett: The Trial of Vivian Ansalem."

A well told, sometimes funny sometimes sad story about how religious and family traditions clash in the modern world.

darn it. this was bloody entertaining/hilarious from the get-go plus ronit elkabetz from The Band's Visit starred in this too (she's certified sizzling hot btw, and the woman's a good actress too) that i was gutted with the "let-down" of an ending. to be fair, if it had ended otherwise it would've been 'hi, cliched hollywood ending'. tradition or not, it was hard to curb the great disdain i had for 'zaza'; his cowardice was appalling.

A 31 year old unmarried man in Israel is, I guess, very distressful to his family. They want him settled down and having children but it seems Zaza already has his heart set on someone totally unsuitable: an older woman, divorced and with a kid. The family won't stand for it.

A pesar de las tradiciones que encierra à (C)sta película, es lenta y plana.

Family ties, tradition and convenance are... still stronger than true love. Against the American hollywood stereotype. The movie shows how individuals feel safer in their own close- knitted communities, even not accepting the rules that govern them, they are not willing to risk this security, even for the price of happiness, forgetting that no choice will be perfect, or will remove hardships. Even happiness has tobe worked for. Israeli Shahrukh Khan Lior Ashkenazi in an internal stuggle to please everyone, except for himslef.

Oh Lord! Someone compared this to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I'm sure that Dover Koshashvili is having kittens about that comment. Another tale of a loveless marriage created out of tradition.

watches more like a stage play rather than a film. great acting just didn't like the main character enough to enjoy

Depressing and melodramatic at times, but it also has Ronit Elkabetz (actress of "The Bands Visit" and director of last years similarly underrated "Shiva") in short shorts: dangerously short really. The bedroom scenes had a great naturalism and sense of cinematic cleverness, but the struggle between traditional culture and "the heart", was a bit hammy. I didnt want to watch this at first but became sucked into the highly ritualized courtship our Steve Carrel looking lead is dragged into. Having already been introduced to almost 100 brides to be and still unmarried at 31, our hero's family thinks him a freak, a condition his life as a philosophy studennt going for his doctorate is no longer enough to buffer. Secretly he is seeing older woman and divorcee Elkabetz, which is a big no-no within his particular Georgian family. The family vs. the lover's confrontation scene is borderline ridiculous, even if it does make a warped emotional sense (and is not impossible), but it's another blemish on a film that has it's fair share. Still it is an engrossing melodrama with style, wit, and poise offering an Isreali variation and insight into the pains and joys of star-crossed love.

It suppose to be a realistic approach on telling a story about conservative marriage tradition. However, sometimes the story does not get that way. That makes the film somehow losing control.

i had a lot of hope for the main character to not punk out. but defying parental and cultural ideals isnt for everyone. good movie with an unexpected ending.

Late Marriage (2001) Hatuna Meuheret. good movie but not a four star movie. SEE MY 5 Lists of foreign film nominated for best Foreign film Oscar. This movie is first movie by former Georgian (Russian) Jew now living in Israel. A 31 year olds (getting doctorate of humanities) parents and other family are arranging a marriage for him. He does not protest much but does not accept any of the offers as he has girlfriend (divorced and with a 7 year old daughter) he is already involved with. Its great seeing and hearing the cultures and tradition of others. However this movie does not go anywhere. In the end his parents intervene and he must choose between his family traditions or his love. Its still a good movie but not a 4 or 5 star movie. The film does contain one long sex scene which gave it an NC 17 rating. three stars.

A funny yet sad look at arranged marriage in a particular (Georgian Jews) Jewish society in Israel.

"Late Marriage" is a Hebrew-language movie directed and written by Dover Kosashvilli. It focuses on Georgian Jewish immigrants in Israel who are still bound by old world traditions and where the young generation is still very much at the mercy of the older generation, especially in matters pertaining to marriage. Zaza [ Lior Ashkenazi] is a 31-year-old graduate student working towards his doctorate in philosophy. His parents are eager to see him married and worried that he will choose an unsuitable bride. So Zaza reluctantly goes along with their matchmaking efforts, whilst concealing the fact that he is in fact involved in a long-term affair with a divorced, single mom Judith [Ronit Elkabetz]. Soon enough, things reach crisis point when his parents find out about Judith and rope in their close relatives to help them intervene and put a stop to the affair. The scene where they confront Judith is remarkable in revealing the true nature of some of the main characters. Ultimately, the question is: will Zaza stand up for his rights and protect the woman he truly loves, or will he meekly adhere to his parents' wishes? The acting was excellent all-round and truly portrayed how some traditional societies are still deeply mired in cultural practices that can be deemed rather out of date by contemporary standards. I could empathize with the situation because I myself had to endure similar intrusions in my personal life by 'well-meaning' relatives before ultimately marrying a man of my own choice. This story may seem a bit shocking to those who haven't experienced such heavy-handed interference in their lives, but I have to say that such things as matchmaking, and arranged marriages are not uncommon in very traditional societies [not just confined to Georgian Jews, but others such as conservative Indians etc]. For some such arranged marriages actually work out well, but many others still prefer to choose their own life partners. The actor portraying Zaza [Lior Ashkenazi] is convincing in his role as the amorous yet weak-willed lover, and Ronit Elkabetz is amazing as the much maligned Judith who displays remarkable courage and conviction towards the end. The chemistry between the two leads are credible and the sex scenes are quite graphic [both male and female nudity are portrayed] but I guess these scenes sort of serve to establish the immense sexual connection between the pair, though some parts just felt rather overdone to me. All in all, I felt this was a rather refreshing movie with its less commonly explored theme of arranged marriage, and it provides remarkable insights into a culture I was previously unfamiliar with.

So good and so very, very sad.

I love how this film treats real life. Although there are some over-the-top scenes with the main character's family, I was completely sucked into the story. I didn't expect the movie to end so sadly. There is something about the message that societal norms will prevail over all, that is deeply depressing.

An interesting view of an emigre community but ultimately unsatisfying due mainly to the choppiness of the narrative, it felt like it should have been longer, and the wussiness of the main character.

I was so impressed by Ronit Elkabetz in 'The Band's Visit' and thought I should pick up another movie of hers. Unfortunately this movie hardly does her acting skills any justice. BUT the movie is certainly well made. Very rarely you see a social comedy with humour and tension so well interleaved.

Trois actes et un epilogue pour cette tragicomedie sur le theme du mariage arrange et le poids des traditions. Drole sans etre comique, grave sans melo. Assez reussi dans l ensemble