Late Marriage (2001)

First of all, I can't believe I am only now just seeing Mariage Tardif (חתונה מאוחרת), which was Lior Ashkenazi's breakout role! He is extraordinary in this, as is Ronit Elkabetz (may she rest in peace!). They're both great in everything, so I guess that's no surprise.

But also Late Marriage, as it was called in the US when it was released here in 2002, is very, very good. It's sexy and funny and complicated, and it's also quite explicit about its sexuality while never being pornographic. This is a very difficult film to watch, though, and I yelled at this film in a way that I don't usually yell at movies. The main character makes some awful, terrible decisions, and for me it was very hard to forgive him for these decisions and for being so horribly weak. I liked this character, of course – it's hard not to like Lior Ashkenazi – but the man he plays in this movie is a scumbag.

Hmmm... there is more to say. Late Marriage traffics in an amazing kind of awkwardness that I actually really loved. Dover Koshashvili's pacing and lingering here even feels uncinematic at times, and this approach is wonderfully unconventional. This really appealed to me.