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Poster for Fill the Void

Fill the Void

Seen it?

2012 | 90 min | Drama

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (89% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite almost no lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for anyone who loves a strong drama.
The mood
Thoughtful and character-driven.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 30 min.
What might put you off
  • Rated PG. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
  • It's in another language, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

Eighteen-year-old Shira is the youngest daughter of the Mendelman family. She is about to be married off to a promising young man of the same age and background. It is a dream come true, and Shira feels prepared and excited. On Purim, her twenty-eight-year-old sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her first child, Mordechay. The pain and grief that overwhelm the family postpone Shira's promised match. Everything changes when a match is proposed to Yochay-Esther's late husband-to a widow from Belgium. Yochay feels it's too early, although he realizes that sooner or later he must seriously consider getting married again. When the girls' mother finds out that Yochay may marry the widow and move to Belgium with her only grandchild, she proposes a match between Shira and the widower. Shira will have to choose between her heart's wish and her family duty. She will find out that the void which she must choose exists only within her heart.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    89% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsSolid

    Won 1 Venice award: Venice Film Festival: Best Actress. Also nominated for 1 more Venice award. Plus 8 other awards.

  • Box office & staying powerBelow par

    $2 million worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 6K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Rama Burshtein

  • Hadas YaronShira Mendelman
  • Yiftach KleinYochay
  • Renana RazEsther Mendelman
  • Irit ShelegRivka
  • Razia IsraeliAunt Hanna
  • Hila FeldmanFrieda
  • Ido SamuelYossi