The Other Widow

The Other Widow
Promotional release poster
Directed by	Maayan Rypp
Written by	Maayan Rypp Anat Gafni
Produced by	Christophe Audeguis Amir Harel Ayelet Kait
Starring	Dana Ivgy Ania Bukstein
Cinematography	Moshe Mishali
Edited by	Yann Dedet Clémence Diard
Music by	Adam Weingrod
Production companies	Lama Films Cup of Tea Tobina Film
Release dates	November 21, 2022 (PÖFF) February 15, 2023 (SBIFF) March 22, 2023 (SIFF) July 15, 2023 (Jerusalem)
Running time	83 minutes
Countries	Israel France
Language	Hebrew

The Other Widow (Hebrew: הפילגש) is a 2022 Israeli-French drama film directed by Maayan Rypp (in her directorial debut) and written by Rypp & Anat Gafni. Starring Dana Ivgy and Ania Bukstein. It is about a woman whose lover dies and who seeks to reclaim her right to mourn even though her lover's family and wife are still there.

Synopsis

Ella is a theater dressmaker and lover of one of the actors in her play, who dies unexpectedly. In the context of the preparations for the premiere and the increasing pressure from the production, Ella insists on attending Shiva and exposes herself to a world that has been blocked from her until now. Things get complicated when she meets her lover's brother, mother and wife, and gets too close to them.

Cast

• Dana Ivgy as Ella
• Ania Bukstein as Natasha
• Itamar Rotschild as Dan / Assaf
• Yaniv Biton as Yigal
• Lee Gilat as Kiran
• Naama Preis as Maya
• Irit Gidron as Yehudit
• Svetlana Demidov as Marina
• Mouna Hawa as Yasmin
• Howard Rypp as Reuben
• Anat Atzmon as Amalia
• Batel Israel as Catering Waitress
• Yona Rozenkier as Yinon
• Rom Sheratzky as Yotam
• Ben Drori as Delivery Guy

Release

The Other Widow had its world premiere on November 21, 2022, at the 26th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, then screened on February 15, 2023, at the 38th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, on March 22 of the same year at the 27th Sofia International Film Festival and on July 15 of the same year at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

Reception

Critical reception

Wendy Ide from Screen Daily wrote: "This impressive debut from Ma’ayan Rypp is an elegant and empathetic portrait of that most vilified of female characters, The Other Widow, combining satisfyingly textured character details with a suitably theatrical flourish to arresting effect." Jason Delgado from Film Threat wrote: "The Other Widow is not conventional, but that is something I enjoy about it. The master craftsmanship of the cast and crew transports us to a different point of view that you can’t take your eyes off of."

Accolades