Fill the Void
Fill the Void is a 2012 Israeli drama film written and directed by Rama Burshtein. It focuses on life among the Haredi Jewish community in Tel Aviv, Israel. Hadas Yaron stars as Shira Mendelman, an 18-year-old girl who is pressured to marry her older sister's husband, following the death of her sister in childbirth.
The film required a lengthy production period, taking over a year for the casting to be completed, and another year and three months for editing. Burshtein, who was doubtful as to how much of the process would be completed, took a step-by-step approach, focusing first on the writing, then on accumulating enough funding for the project, followed by the filming and editing. Burshtein became the first Haredi Jewish woman to direct a film intended for wide distribution. The film premiered at the 69th Venice Film Festival on 1 September 2012, and was later released in the United States on 24 May 2013.
Fill the Void was well received by critics for its depiction of Haredi Jews and their lifestyle. It won seven Israeli Academy Awards, and lead actress Hadas Yaron won Best Actress for her portrayal of Shira at the Venice Film Festival.
Plot
Shira Mendelman, an 18-year-old Hasidic girl living in Tel Aviv, is looking forward to an arranged marriage with a young man whom she likes. However, on Purim, her family suffers a tragedy when Shira's older sister Esther dies in childbirth. Shira's father subsequently delays the engagement so as not to have to deal with an empty house so soon after Esther's death. Esther's husband, Yochay, begins to regularly bring their son, Mordechai, to the Mendelman's house, where Shira cares for him.One day, Yochay's mother approaches Shira's mother, Rivka, about the possibility of Yochay remarrying, believing it to be best for Mordechai. She plans to suggest an offer from a widow in Belgium. Rivka is distraught by the idea of Mordechai being taken out of the country, and suggests that Yochay marry Shira instead. He and Shira both initially oppose the prospect, though he eventually warms to it, and she agrees to take it into consideration on learning that her previous engagement has been called off due to her father's delays. However, she had hoped for a younger husband; her dream was of someone who would discover married life for the first time together with her.
Shortly afterwards, Frieda, a friend of Esther who has never received any marriage proposals, tells Shira that Esther would have preferred that Yochay marry her in the event of her death. As a result, Shira tells Yochay that Frieda is more suitable, which he takes as an affront.
Shira and Yochay remain distant from one another afterwards, and he announces that he plans to move with Mordechai to marry the widow in Belgium. Shira, pressured by her family, agrees to go forward with the engagement to Yochay, believing it to be the best scenario for everyone. However, the rabbi realizes that Shira is half-hearted, and he refuses to condone the marriage.
Time passes, and Shira eventually concludes that she was meant to be with Yochay and his baby. She approaches the rabbi and asks again that she and Yochay be married, and he agrees this time. The film closes with their wedding.
Cast
- Hadas Yaron as Shira Mendelman
- Chaim Sharir as Aharon Mendelman
- Ido Samuel as Yossi Mendelman
- Irit Sheleg as Rivka Mendelman
- Yiftach Klein as Yochay Goldberg
- as Freida
- Razia Israeli as Aunt Hanna
- as Esther Goldberg
- Yael Tal as Shiffi
- Michael David Weigl as Shtreicher
- Neta Moran as Bilha
- Melech Thal as Rabbi
Production
Writing and themes
Fill the Void was written and directed by Rama Burshtein, who, in the course of its production, became the first Haredi Jewish woman to direct a film intended to be viewed outside of the Haredi community. In doing so, she hoped to create a greater understanding of the Haredi community, in part by dispelling the common misconceptions that women are often forced into arranged marriages; despite the differences in structure, the woman is always given the final say in whom she marries. Burshtein also deliberately avoided depicting a divide between the religious and secular Jews, a theme that commonly appears in films about the Haredim. She explained:In her director's notes, Burshtein wrote, "I love Jane Austen. She's romantic, intelligent, and full of humor.... The parallel is also quite obvious in that 'Fill the Void' takes place in a world where the rules are rigid and clear. The characters are not looking for some way to burst out of that world. Instead, they are trying to find a way to live within it." Critics noted the similarities between Austen's characters and those in Fill the Void, and Stephanie Merry from The Washington Post likened the character of Frieda to Charlotte Lucas from Pride and Prejudice. Frieda, like Charlotte, has never had any marriage prospects, and is the subject of others' pity as a result.
Merry suggested that, regardless of cultural differences, the story is universal, due to "its themes of loss and family loyalty, not to mention the realization that life may not align with our idealized expectations". Boston Globe correspondent Peter Keough agreed that the "themes of love and loss, self-sacrifice and self-preservation" are applicable to audiences both in and outside the Haredi community. John Podhoretz, an editor of The Weekly Standard, was surprised that the "state of grace" featured prominently in Fill the Void, perceiving it to be an uncommon concept in Jewish movies.
Casting
Casting the film took a full year to complete, largely because, according to Burshtein, she "didn't know what wanted". She initially considered using "regular people" with no background in acting, before realizing that "non-actors couldn't handle the complexities of their characters".Israeli actress Hadas Yaron, then aged 20, was cast for the role of Shira, the protagonist of the film. She commented that her character "is much more naïve at 18 than I was when I was 18, and there was something so special about that, and it was like going back to the basics". Yaron was unfamiliar with Haredi practice prior to participating in Fill the Void. In order to become better acquainted with Shira's lifestyle, she started memorizing all of the Hebrew blessings, saying: "There's something so beautiful about it because you're being so grateful all the time for everything you do and hoping that everything works out okay, and I started doing those blessings every day, and it sounds silly, but it helps you feel that you are closer to the character."
Yiftach Klein was cast to act alongside her as Yochay Goldberg. Burshtein remarked that Klein "is a big star in Israel, and has played a pimp, a homosexual, and a cop ; so, I was not sure you could really believe him as this Orthodox guy. But his audition, and then his chemistry with Hadas, were just perfect".
Additional cast members include Hila Feldman as Frieda, Irit Sheleg as Rivka Mendelman, Chaim Sharir as Aharon Mendelman, Razia Israeli as Aunt Hanna, Renana Raz as Esther Goldberg, Ido Samuel as Yossi Mendelman, Yael Tal as Shiffi, Michael David Weigl as Shtreicher, Neta Moran as Bilha, and Melech Thal as Rabbi.
As most of the main cast was not from the Haredi community, Burshtein instructed them to attend all of the major events that take place within the film, including a wedding and a circumcision. Yaron commented: ", it was so intense, and was crying, and she was really in it, and I felt like she was my sister because I'm going to be like her in a while. So, it was really helpful to experience all these things, and to see how it is and to feel a part of it actually."
Costumes
Chani Gurewitz oversaw costume design for the film, and much of the low budget was spent on the clothing worn by the actors, which was designed to be soft and colorful. Hasidic style of dress was used, including headgear and heavy attire worn by the males and modest dresses and head coverings worn by the females.Filming
Burshtein found creating a believable relationship between Yiftach Klein and Hadas Yaron to be one of the more challenging aspects of the production. She hoped to keep the relationship between Yochay and Shira enigmatic, with a strong undercurrent of tension, throughout the film. One method of doing so was ensuring that the actors never touched while filming. She explained, "That's how we see the enigma—the power of wanting and then restraining. The restraining is the power. The passion cannot exist if you have it all the time—the passion is only for something that you don't have. You have to work to keep the passion. Judaism is all about that." Burshtein considered including a scene in which Shira and Yochay kissed about halfway through the movie but decided against it, believing that the energy would be lost.Yaron had never acted in a role with a romance before and at certain points found it difficult to portray the emotions her character felt when interacting with Yochay. Cinematographer Asaf Sudry assisted in conveying to the audience that the marriage between the lead characters would eventually take place by frequently using sunlight for their scenes.
In general, Sudry designed the visual effects in Fill the Void to create a claustrophobic view point. Blurred backgrounds were often utilized to focus on the faces of the characters, and most of the long takes were shot from an interior perspective. Sudry used Arri Alexa cameras and short-range lenses with limited camera movements to maintain the effect. Burshtein explained that this was done to illustrate that "the heart is very colorful and very small" and that "we as human beings only see fragments of the big picture; God sees the whole thing!" While a "documentary feel" was retained throughout most of the film's duration, the style was switched for the wedding scene to create a euphoric atmosphere similar to those used in productions by Terrence Malick and David Lynch.
The film relied on subtext, requiring the actors to "read between the lines" for a number of their scenes. Most of the sentiments are understated, and Burshtein avoided having any of the characters break down or openly become angry when pressured. Yaron described a scene between Yochay and Rivka as her favorite, saying, "I think it's because there is so much pain there; it touches you the most when people feel something and try to hide it and you see it."
Following the completion of filming, Burshtein continued to edit the footage for another year and three months until it was declared complete.