Review of Fill the Void (2012) by Michael L — 29 Jun 2013

FILL THE VOID is so self-assured and subtly directed it's exactly what you would expect from a master filmmaker at the top of their career. Shockingly, FILL THE VOID is from first-time directer Rama Burshtein who draws us into a world totally foreign to us but without explanation makes the film's themes of commitment to self, family, culture totally universal and surprising.

A stunning accomplishment that lingers in the mind and resonates with depth as the days draw on. Shot in very shallow focus, FILL THE VOID isolates its characters and makes the personal deeply sociopolitical.

I saw FILL THE VOID back to back with FRANCES HA, another film about a young woman coming to terms with her future, and was a bit dumbfounded by how different these two worlds are. These woman are not only from different cultures but appear to be from different planets--each full of joy, complexity, anxiety, energy, and great hope.