Late Marriage (2001)

Zaza is a 31-year old Israeli bachelor, handsome and intelligent, and his family wants to see him married. But tradition dictates that Zaza has to choose a young virgin. She must be ... See full summary »

Director:

Dover Koshashvili

Writer:

Dover Koshashvili

Stars:

Lior Ashkenazi, Ronit Elkabetz, Moni Moshonov

18 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lior Ashkenazi	...	Zaza (as Lior Louie Ashkenazi)
Ronit Elkabetz	...	Judith
Moni Moshonov	...	Yasha
Lili Koshashvili	...	Lili
Aya Steinovitz	...	Ilana
Rozina Cambos	...	Magouly (as Rozina Cambus)
Simon Chen	...	Simon
Sapir Kugman	...	Madona
Dina Doron	...	Luba
Leonid Kanevskiy	...	Otary
Libia Hakmon	...	Margalita (as Libia Hakmon-Ayali)
Eli Turi	...	Bessik
Maria Ovanov	...	Lali
Orit Sher	...	(as Orit Buchnik Sher)
Rivka Gur

Storyline

Zaza is a 31-year old Israeli bachelor, handsome and intelligent, and his family wants to see him married. But tradition dictates that Zaza has to choose a young virgin. She must be beautiful and from a good family, preferably rich. Zaza's parents, Yasha and Lily drag Zaza to meet potential brides and their families. Zaza has no choice. He plays along with his family, advocates of the suffocating traditions of their Georgian Jewish heritage. But Zaza always manages to somehow get out of being engaged. What his parents don't know is that Zaza is already in love. Judith is sensuous, strong and intriguing. She's also a divorcée with a 6-year-old daughter. So Zaza has kept Judith a secret from his family. He will have to choose between respect of the strict confines of family and tradition, or the love of his life.

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Plot Keywords:

georgian | 31 year old | jewish | bachelor | female pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes, love doesn't conquer all.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Israel France

Language:

Georgian Hebrew

Release Date:

28 June 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Casamento Arranjado

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$31,685, 19 May 2002

Gross USA:

$1,656,445

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,868,298

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arte France Cinéma, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), Israeli Film Fund

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 98 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie time is 1989 because Madonna writes in her diary the date 9.6.1989. Israeli car license plates from the 1980s are also visible.

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Quotes

Zaza: If that monster
[who suddenly came out of the sea and said, "I am God"]
Zaza: was able to convince my mother that love exists, I'd believe in him.

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Connections

Referenced in Blind Date (2003)

User Reviews

marvelous movie, not matriarchal

While I absolutely loved the movie and found it to be both funny and bittersweet, I write here to differ with other displayed comments. The part of the conservative Georgian community shown in this Israeli movie is most certainly NOT matriarchal. The problems that the male protagonist experiences are NOT due to women controlling the society. The reason his family doesn't want to allow him to be with the woman he loves is because it is a *patriarchal* society, where an older, divorced woman with a child -- no matter how loving, intelligent and beautiful -- is viewed through a sexist lens as damaged goods.

Anyone who watches the early scenes where a 17-year-old girl is trotted out as goods for matchmaking purposes and the two male heads of the family control the proceedings, should realize that this is a patriarchal society. Don't be misled by the fact that the professional matchmaker is a woman and that the hero's mother is a firm believer in sexist customs; if some women didn't hold sexist beliefs, sexism wouldn't exist. Note that the 17 year-old's mother is a widow, but her uncle controls the matchmaking decisions instead of her mother. The male protagonist is harmed by *patriarchal* customs, make no mistake. These customs harm both women and men.