Valeria Is Getting Married

Rain in Tel Aviv. A bad omen? Christina (Lena Fraifeld), at least, is full of confidence, as she awaits the arrival of her younger sister Valeria (Dasha Tvoronovych) from Ukraine. Valeria is coming to Israel to meet her fiancé Eytan for the first time. The marriage was arranged online, similar to Christina's own situation, who has now found a better home and happiness with Michael. She wishes the same for her sister... But when Valeria and Eytan finally meet face to face, the mood quickly turns uncomfortable because Valeria has doubts. Suddenly, Michael blames Christina for her sister's dismissive behavior—because the entire arrangement also serves his own interests. Her position as a wife is increasingly shaken... "VALERIA IS GETTING MARRIED is a high-tension chamber drama. Only a few hours are narrated. After Valeria's arrival at Tel Aviv airport and a brief stop at the beauty salon where Christina works, the action shifts almost entirely to the apartment where the married couple lives. [...] [The film] highlights the patriarchal power and dependency relationships that are often at work in arranged marriages. Israeli filmmaker Michal Vinik also questions the consensual nature of the relationship through her use of imagery. The room is repeatedly fragmented by a lack of depth of field. In the foreground, the sisters isolate themselves in conversation, while the two men dissolve into the background. [...] VALERIA IS GETTING MARRIED works almost like a crime thriller. The statement in the film's title is increasingly called into question and, supported by a slightly unnerving string motif, creates a sense of tension throughout. The situation escalates when Valeria locks herself in the bathroom and refuses to come out, even when persuaded. […] Michal Vinik breaks with naturalism not only through blurring; the pale colors of the film also have a slight reddish tinge, as if the states of excitement on the verge of eruption were turning inside out." (Esther Buss, on: filmdienst.de) Valeria is Getting Married premiered in September 2022 in the Orizzonti Extra section at the Venice Film Festival, was nominated for 14 Israeli Film Awards, and won the Ecumenical Jury Prize from the film organizations SIGNIS and INTERFILM at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival.