Disobedience (2017) is an independent romantic drama that is based on the novel of the same name by Naomi Alderman. It focuses on the character Ronit (Rachel Weisz), a North London woman from an Orthodox Jewish community now living in New York, who comes home when word reaches her that her father, the rabbi, has passed. Ronit was banished from this community as a young woman for reasons that become more clear as the plot moves along — and that involve her childhood friends, Dovid (Alessandro Nivola) and Esti (Rachel McAdams).
As we watch Disobedience, we eventually learn that Ronit was banished from her community (and likely hastened along by her late, conservative rabbi father) for fostering a same-sex relationship with Esti when they were young. When Ronit returns to pay her respects, their easy communication and sexual chemistry stir up all types of emotions for both women. This also threatens Dovid, who, through his placement as a holy man and his marriage to Esti, has accomplished an esteemed place in the community. While Ronit is openly bi (she has grief sex with a male stranger in New York when she learns of her father’s death and openly lives life as a bi woman) and the two women still share an attraction, Esti is still conflicted by internalized and external homophobia from her community. While Esti eventually admits that she never felt anything for any other woman than Ronit, she also admits that she has never been attracted to men and married Dovid for heteronormative reasons.
Disobedience does a good job of showing that there are queer people who live and move in conservative religious circles as well as those who move outside of those communities.
In an interview with AfterEllen, Weisz has no problem labeling her character as bi:
They chose me to exile. The Rabbi felt like he could control her a little more, and he was right; he arranged her marriage. He felt like she would be more pliable and more amenable to staying, whereas I was a bit of a lost cause. I was a little more independent. [Ronit] is bisexual or she’s gay for Esti. She loves Esti. It transcends definition – Esti is the love of her life, and she happens to be a woman.
Overall, Disobedience gives a rare modern glimpse into what it is like to be queer both in — and when ejected from — a rarely-seen (on film) religious community, and as such, ends up being pretty good bi representation for a niche but important and underserved demographic.