The Wedding Plan

First off: writer/director Rama Burshtein is an Orthodox Israeli woman. This informs her work an her point of view and it's so incredibly distinct from almost anything else I've ever seen. For example, while The Wedding Plan was marketed as a rom com (the title even is more generic than the original, more philosophical Through the Wall) and the movie does contain both romance and comedy, it is also an incredible introspective, philosophical, religious film.

The film is about Michal, an unmarried Haredi Jewish woman in her early thirties living in Jerusalem. Now in orthodox communities, being in your early 30s and unwed is highly unusual, especially since from around the age of 18 young men and women are set up by their parents and matchmakers on dates, which are actually rather chaste in nature and immediately get to the point of whether the couple involved have enough in common to marry. Michal has been "dating" for 10 years. She goes to a fortune teller of sorts and she discusses why she wants to marry, the type of companionship she's looking for etc. Shortly after we see her at the tasting for her wedding dinner... which quickly goes south as her fiancé abruptly confesses he doesn't love her. Michal quickly drops him, but faced with the idea of another decade of marriage she decides to force God's hand. She rents the hall, continues with dress fittings, and leaves it up to God to provide a groom for her.

Burshtein approaches the issues in the film with a beautiful honest sincerity. But for all that, the film has some flaws. I could not help comparing it unfavourably in appearance to her beautiful debut film, Fill the Void. I was also unsatisfied with how some of the characters in the film were presented. A certain twist is broadcast from a million miles away and the questions and answers that some of the dates bring are oddly unsatisfactory. Overall though the film is certainly worth viewing, especially because the perspective is so unique and it is approached with such love, compassion and knowledge.

I wont get into the plot, because a lot of the people reviewing this movie did. I will just say that I loved it!! It¨s fun to watch, LOVE Noa Koler and all the things she brings to her character. I got to this movie by looking for romance movies in Amazon and it simply moved my heart and soul. Gd helps those who help themselves. And throughout the movie Michal is set on following her dream and not setting for less. The rock star is SO good looking, but Shimi has something else...he had love in his eyes. Keep your eyes open for israeli films. I will certainly do from now on.

The movie centers around the decision of one Haredi (commonly called ultra-orthodox ) Israeli Jewish thirty-something woman's decision of if/when/whom to marry. She has been having trouble finding just the right person for herself, partly because of the men she has been meeting but partly because she is an unconventional woman in a number of ways. When her engagement is broken off , she has an unusual reaction which is the linchpin for the rest of the movie including an ending which may be surprising to some.

The movie was billed as a romantic comedy; there are indeed plenty of humorous moments, but I think it's real attraction is the issues it raises about the process of deciding to get married, what one is looking for and how it can be related to issues of faith. And although it involves the Haredi Jewish world, I think the insights and themes apply to other cultures as well , while at the same time the movie provides an entertaining window into the Haredi world.

The movie is very well directed and acted and went by quickly. Contraryto another review posted here, the audience I saw it clapped heartily at the end and lingered afterwards. Recommended.

The movie is very well done, but without a talent like Ms. Koler's, it would not be nearly as compelling, and compelling it is! It holds your interest from the opening scene to the last, and while some might consider it a chick flick, it certainly appealed to me.

What is love? What is marriage? Do faith and God fit in? Great questions, and while this movie may not answer them definitively, it certainly provides an entertaining way to ponder them.

The relationships she has with her women relatives and friends are uplifting...it's all good.

"The Wedding Plan" (2016 release from Israel; 110 min>) brings the story of Michal, a young woman who happens to be an Orthodox Jew. As the movie opens, we see Michal consulting a fortune teller on what she needs to do to find a suitable man to marry, having tried for over a decade (we later learn she's had 123 dates over that span). In the very next scene, we see her with her fiancé (hurray!), who admits he doesn't love her (boo!). Michal is devastated. But in a whim, she decides to rent the wedding hall big enough to accommodate 200 people, and fix the wedding day on the 8th night of Hannukah, exactly 22 days later. She has a wedding hall, a wedding dress and not the only thing left is to find a groom. At this point we're less than 15 min. into the movie. Will Michal find her man? To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the second feature-length movie from writer-director Rama Burshtein. A few years ago, she surprised us all with her debut film, the exquisite "Fill the Void", which also was set in the Orthodox-Jewish community in Jerusalem.and also dealing with the theme of marriage, but in a very different way. In a way, the movie could be called "The Misadventures of Dating in the Orthodox-Jewish Community", and there are some funny moments for sure, although I wouldn't call this movie an outright comedy. The movie is helped tremendously by the charming performance of Noa Kole as Michal. She appears in virtually every frame of the movie. The movie tends to lag a bit in the middle part, and probably could've benefited from some tighter editing and shortening its run by about 15 min. I was already in my mind ready to give this a 5/10 rating, but then we come to the movie's outstanding concluding 15 min. It is an emotional wallop which I did not see coming. That's all I will say about it (mustn't spoil!!).

"The Wedding Plan" opened recently at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati (same one where I saw "Fill the Void"). The Wednesday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended so-so (less than 10 people in the theater), I'm guessing the nice weather and being a weekday evening had to do with that. If you are in the mood for a foreign film that shines light on life in the Orthodox-Jewish community with mostly a light touch, I readily recommend you check out "The Wedding Plan", be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.