called "litigation". In fact, there are not many litigation procedures worthy of our attention. What attracts our attention is the issue of equality between men and women in the Jewish world, whether in ordinary times. In the relationship between husband and wife, or in the litigation of divorce cases, male power is supreme. The behavior of respecting male power and suppressing women is shown vividly in this film, which really makes us dumbfounded.
Even if we gnash our teeth on the suppression of feminist rights, we cannot give a fair judgment on the right and wrong between husband and wife. It is said that an honest official can hardly judge housework, let alone between husband and wife, that is, we don’t need to follow Vivian and Elisha. The words between husband and wife are used to judge who is right and who is wrong; moreover, it is impossible to judge who is right and who is wrong from all the testimony of witnesses and the debates between the lawyers (or attorneys) of both parties. Justify or attack the other party. Under Judaism and laws governed by Judaism thinking, as long as it is proved that the husband is a decent person, has no domestic violence, and no physical defects, then he is the non-faulty party and holds the dominance of the divorce, no matter how Vivian's argumentation is She is not happy, as long as her husband does not agree to the divorce, the judge will not support her petition for divorce.
On the whole, this film reflects how women represented by Vivienne rebelled against male power, how to fight for their rights, especially the rights that a wife should have, and the biggest right is the right to secede from her husband— -Freedom of divorce. Based on our observation of Vivienne’s facial expressions, she would smile on several occasions when the divorce is expected to be achieved, which shows that freedom has become the source of her happiness. However, her desire for such freedom received little support. The judge only paid attention to whether she was observing women's way, so they asked her several times whether she had committed adultery. It seems that there is nothing wrong with committing adultery, and she can return to the family, ignoring whether her return to the family is happy or not, because the three male judges never expected a woman’s rights to be awakened, and they did not understand that a wife could violate her husband’s. will. The judge is entirely on the patriarchal standpoint. Brother Vivian's wife and sister supported her divorce and was humiliated by the male agent as "jealous". The judge did not stop this inappropriate remark, and even unfairly supported the male agent's personal attack on the female lawyer.
An important reason for Elisha's cold violence against his wife is that he wants to fight his wife's rights. So, what are the specific claims of Vivienne? We can get a glimpse from the testimony of relevant witnesses. First of all, she needs to be independent, not to be a slave who obeys her husband. This can be seen in the testimony of her brother. Although her brother thought that his sister-in-law's marriage was a "disaster", he still encouraged his brother-in-law to deal with his younger sister: "Sometimes a man has to be a little handy and a woman is willing to be obedient, and can't always be so indulgent." Obviously, her brother also couldn't understand her independence and unwillingness to change his stubborn personality for men, because he thought this way: "What's weird about men changing women". Second, the right to equal respect. She didn't want to be completely submissive in the family. If respect is not equal, there must be obedience. Vivienne's friend, Mrs. Abkas, started crying when she spoke of respect when she gave her testimony. Is this for no reason? What she said was something from the bottom of my heart! "A smart woman should know when to speak and when to silence. What men want is nothing but the respect that women have for them, and nothing else. Besides, he is such a tolerant man. You have to respect him first. , You will get what you want...respect your man, and then you can naturally do whatever you want.” Although it is like a good word from the bottom of the heart, but it expresses the bitterness of a woman, Mrs. Abkas actually wept for herself. I am wronged for surrendering to my husband completely. Obviously, Vivienne often fights for equal respect at home, only to attract the persuasion of her neighbors, which arouses the coldness of her husband. Third, the right to choose a lifestyle. She wants to travel freely, she wants to go in and out of cafes freely, she wants to make friends freely, she doesn’t want to live like a Jew, she doesn’t want to prepare Sabbath food on Wednesday, she doesn’t want to be attached to a person, he wants to have The right to live alone", but all this is something her husband cannot tolerate, because her husband has since lost the dignity of a Jewish man. With her husband still in love with her, if she wants to change his wife's lifestyle, the family cold war is inevitable.
For Vivian, there is no happiness without freedom, and for Elisha, there is no happiness without dignity. The long entangled lawsuit was actually due to Elisha's non-cooperation, in the final analysis, because he didn't get the dignity he deserved. Regardless of Vivienne's disobedience or her sense of autonomy, these prevented him from having absolute control over his own woman like other Jews. In fact, it was not until the end of the film that we discovered that the knot in Elisha’s heart was that he was afraid that the woman he used to associate with other men. Even though he had decided to let her be free, he still needed his wife to agree to not associate with other men. This seems to be why he used so many years of litigation, nothing more than his pitiful dignity and face. Vivienne's promise of celibacy in exchange for freedom reflects that Jewish women still have a long way to go to fight for their rights.
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