The Wedding Plan written and directed by Rama Burshtein, distributed by Roadside Attractions; Hebrew with English subtitles. To be presented May 26 at Hillcrest Cinemas.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — There is a scene in The Wedding Plan in which Michal (Noa Koler) is being driven to the wedding hall. She has on her wedding dress. The guests have been invited. Yet Michal and the film’s audience are in suspense. Will there be a groom there?
The Wedding Plan starts with Michal’s fiance, Gidi (Erez Drigues), informing her that he does not love her. So the marriage is called off, but not the wedding. So determined is Michal to be married that she hires the hall, buys a dress, attends to other wedding arrangements, and then dates a number of Breslov Hassidic men, hoping to find the one whom God wants to stand under the chuppah with her. The owner of the wedding hall (Amos Tamam) compassionately offers to tear up the contract, but she steadfastly refuses. She firmly believes God will provide her groom.
Some of the dates don’t go well. One candidate (Udi Persi) refuses to look directly at her, saying he wants the first woman he stares at fully in the face to be his bride, so he can truly say that to him she is the most beautiful woman in the world. Another candidate (Jonathan Rozen) is deaf, and when he asks what makes her interested in him now, whereas she wasn’t before, she answers bluntly through a signing interpreter: “Despair.” That put an end to that date.
Still determined, Michal flies to the Ukraine to pray at the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Unaware that the wall between the men’s and women’s section of the tomb is very thin, Michal is heard remonstrating with herself by a well-known Israeli pop singer (Oz Zehavi), who happens to be touring with his band and had visited the tomb on a lark. He goes outside when she does and guesses she was the one he heard. He becomes immediately infatuated with her, but she is religious and he is secular.
Several themes are explored in this charming film. Some in the Hasidic community see Michal’s stubborness as an affront to God, Who should not be challenged. Others know that Michal has always followed her own path — for example, her profession is being the curator of a traveling petting zoo — and they buy into her dream, however reluctantly. Among these are his best friend Feigi (Roni Merhavi). For Michal’s mother (Irit Sheleg), on the other hand, having a daughter going to a wedding without a known groom is utterly humiliating.
About half way through the film, I guessed what the conclusion would be. I was completely wrong!
*
Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com