A Price Above Rubies

Subordination of women and sexuality to religious sentiments and rituals is usually associated with Islam nowadays, but truth be told, world religions are somewhat similar in this regard, and if taken seriously, they suffocate any of them reliably. The heroine of the film is unlucky to be born and raised in a family of Orthodox Jews, where faith is taken deadly seriously and women are expected to serve their husbands and their faith. However, Sonia is not interested in sex during which her partner is constantly thinking more about Jehovah and not sinning, and she is also not interested in completely giving up other joys of life and personal goals, so conflict is imminent. During the course of it, she manages to earn the hatred of the parents, the contempt of the community she comes from, and the loss of property and child, but she gains freedom, dignity, and hope. And that is certainly not insignificant. The screenplay is quite mild and tends to smooth out the tense situations, but it is still a film worth watching. Renée Zellweger filmed it before she became a star with Nurse Betty and especially Bridget Jones's Diary, but here she proves that she is a promising actress. Perhaps only the star status of these celebrity actors makes it difficult for the viewer to see them as other, more ordinary characters than the ones that brought them to the top. Overall impression: 70%. (19.11.2010)