A Portrait of Hidden Mourning

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MOVIE REVIEW
The Other Widow (DVD)
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Genre: Comedy, Drama
Year Released: 2022, Kino Lorber DVD 2025
Runtime: 1h 23m
Director(s): Ma’ayan Rypp
Writer(s): Anat Gafni, Ma’ayan Rypp
Cast: Dana Ivgy, Ania Bukstein
Where To Watch: available now, order here: www.kinolorber.com or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: Grief is never elegant, and mourning becomes even messier when love is tangled in secrecy. THE OTHER WIDOW explores loss through an unexpected lens, focusing on a woman whose heartbreak is unwelcome, whose sorrow is considered inappropriate, and whose connection to the deceased is something others would rather forget. A sharp script, a deeply nuanced lead performance, and a visual style that highlights the film’s themes of isolation and longing make this a compelling exploration of hidden emotions and the way society dictates who gets to grieve.

The story follows Ella (Dana Ivgy,) a theater costume designer involved in a long-term affair with a married playwright. When he suddenly dies, she finds out in the most impersonal way—arriving at work only to realize he’s gone. No one contacts her, no one invites her to the funeral, and no one acknowledges her loss. Instead, his colleagues and family prefer to erase any evidence that she was ever a part of his life, particularly his widow, Natasha (Ania Bukstein.) For Ella, the pain of losing someone is only compounded by the understanding that, in the eyes of those who mattered to him publicly, she was never truly there at all.

Ivgy delivers an exceptional performance, shaping Ella as a woman between defiance and devastation. Rather than portraying grief through grand, theatrical outbursts, Ivgy lets it simmer beneath the surface, allowing the audience to see the weight of her emotions in subtle expressions and body language. Opposite her, Bukstein plays Natasha with a controlled, elegant composure—grieving how people expect a widow to grieve. Natasha’s presence looms over Ella’s story, both as an unapproachable figure and someone whose life Ella cannot help but be drawn into.

The screenplay, co-written by Ma’ayan Rypp and Anat Gafni, blends dark humor with emotional depth, finding sharp moments of irony in Ella’s predicament. One of the best examples is a seemingly simple food delivery scene. Ella receives a meal she didn’t order, momentarily allowing herself to believe it was a thoughtful gesture from her lover. The twist is a perfect metaphor for her relationship—a brief moment of comfort followed by the unknown.

THE OTHER WIDOW uses contrast to reinforce its themes. Ella’s surroundings are cluttered and dim, her world filled with unfinished projects and remnants of a life spent behind the scenes. In contrast, Natasha’s home is pristine, perfectly arranged, and untouched by the chaos of Ella’s existence. The cinematography by Moshe Mishali leans into this divide, framing Ella as an outsider, always on the edge of something she is not meant to be a part of. Even her own body betrays her grief—she suffers from sudden nosebleeds whenever she gets too close to Natasha as if the stress of her presence is manifesting physically.

Despite its many strengths, the film doesn’t always push its ideas as far as possible. Ella’s strained relationship with her own family is hinted at but never fully explored, and there’s a sense that the story could have dug deeper into the emotional complexities of being seen as an outsider, even within one’s own life. The conflict between what society expects from those in mourning and what grief looks like is fascinating, but the film occasionally pulls back instead of fully confronting those contradictions.

THE OTHER WIDOW remains a compelling character study that refuses to make easy judgments. It neither glorifies nor condemns Ella’s choices but instead asks the audience to sit with her and feel the weight of love. What happens when someone loses a person they weren’t supposed to love? Where does that grief go?

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[photo courtesy of KINO LORBER]

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