JIFF: Valeria is Getting Married

“A tight powerful film with strong performances” — Autostraddle

The precarity of arranged marriages and culture clashes propel this provocative award-winning drama, as a Ukrainian bride’s efforts to successfully marry off her sister to an Israeli man backfire with devastating results.

Christina, a Ukrainian woman, has been living in Israel for the past few years since her arranged marriage to Michael. Compared to her life back in Ukraine, life is great for Christina. She works in a beauty salon, earns her own money, and loves Israel. Pointing to their own solid relationship, the couple has convinced Christina’s younger sister Valeria to agree to a similar arrangement. When Valeria finally travels to Israel to meet her soon-to-be fiancé — whom she has only corresponded with online — things don’t go to plan.

With a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, this feature won Best Israeli Feature at Haifa Film Festival and the Audience Award at Shanghai Film Festival.

Rating

Unclass15

Duration

76 min

Language

Hebrew, English, Russian (English subtitles)

Director

Michal Vinik