To Take A Wife

"A Story of Tradition, Love and Fear"

2004 1h 37m HE

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 17

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The story takes place in Haifa, Israel, in 1979, during three days before the Shabbat. A young woman trying to raise three children, work from home, and observe the strict Moroccan traditions of her family finds herself at constant odds with her husband and her brothers, who want her to stay married and leave behind the notions of being loved and free.

“A Story of Tradition, Love and Fear”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Ronit Elkabetz
Viviane
Simon Abkarian
Eliyahoo
Gilbert Melki
Albert
Sulika Kadosh
Mémé
Dalia Beger
Dona
Kobi Regev
Eviatar
Omer Moshkovitz
Gabrielle
Yam Eitan
Lior

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ronit Elkabetz
Writers: Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz
Languages: French, Hebrew
Countries: France, Israel

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Hebrew.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Israel.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Gett Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ronit Elkabetz, shot by Yaron Scharf. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joel Alexis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ronit Elkabetz and Simon Abkarian and Gilbert Melki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ronit Elkabetz directs. Yaron Scharf behind the camera. Joel Alexis cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Israel. Dialogue in French, Hebrew.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 22 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Hebrew.
3International production across 2 countries: France, Israel.
4Part of the "Gett Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Ronit Elkabetz, shot by Yaron Scharf. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Joel Alexis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Ronit Elkabetz and Simon Abkarian and Gilbert Melki carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "A Story of Tradition, Love and Fear".
10IMDB entry: tt0426279 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 17 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 16 themes, including "husband wife relationship", "rage and hate", "marriage crisis", "married couple".