Late Marriage
A couple sets out to find the perfect bride for their son, whether their son likes it or not, in this Israeli comedy. Zaza (Lior Louie Ashkenazi) is a graduate student in his early thirties who has finally found the woman of his dreams -- Judith (Ronit Elkabetz), a Moroccan immigrant with a daughter, Madonna (Sapir Kugman), from a previous marriage. Zaza and Judith have similar interests, a great personal rapport, a keen understanding of one another's feelings, and excellent sexual chemistry, but for Zaza there's one little problem -- his parents. His mother Lili (Lili Kosashvili) and father Yasha (Moni Moshonov) are bound and determined to marry their son to a nice Georgian Jewish girl (who is, of course, a virgin), and they not only disapprove of Zaza's relationship with Judith, they insist on fixing him up on dates as if he isn't in a committed relationship; when that fails to make an impression on Zaza, Lili and Yasha use emotional blackmail against their son, and Lili even goes so far as to confront Judith and insist she stop seeing her son. Late Marriage was shown at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard series; Lili Kosashvili, who makes her screen debut playing Lili, is actually the mother of the film's writer/director, Dover Kosashvili. more..
Director: Dover Kosashvili
Starring: Lior Louie Ashkenazi, Ronit Elkabetz, Moni Moshonov, Lili Koshashvili, Aya Steinovitz
Late Marriage will assuredly rank as one of the cleverest, most deceptively amusing comedies of the year.
The acting is superb, the filmmaking is imaginative, and the story never goes quite where you expect.
Watch for the director's own mother, Lili Kosashvili, a standout as Zaza's fierce, stately mama.
Powerful and very bitter comedy.
A canny (and profoundly sexy) movie.
Best Actor
Awards of the Israeli Film Academy (2001)
Dover Koshashvili
Bratislava International Film Festival (2001)
Ronit Elkabetz
Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (2002)
Best Supporting Actress
Chlotrudis Awards (2003)
Best Israeli Feature
Jerusalem Film Festival (2001)
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