Taglines: In a world of rules… one woman is ruled by her passion.
A Price Above Rubies tells the story of Sonia (Renée Zellweger), a young Brooklyn woman who has just given birth to her first child. She is married, through an arranged marriage, to Mendel (Glenn Fitzgerald), a devout Hasidic Jew who is too immersed in his studies to give his wife the attention she craves.
As a result, Sonia develops a relationship with Mendel’s brother, the jeweler Sender (Christopher Eccleston), who brings her into the business. Sender is the only release for Sonia’s repressed sexuality, and he takes full advantage of that fact as often as he can, but she is repelled by his utter lack of morals as she finds balance between what she feels and what she has been taught is “sinful”. The jewellery business brings her into close contact with the young Puerto Rican artist and jewellery designer Ramon (Allen Payne), but when Sender finds out about their connection he reveals it to the family, and Sonia is divorced and ostracized.
A Price Above Rubies is a 1998 British-American drama film written and directed by Boaz Yakin and starring Renée Zellweger. The story centers on a young woman who finds it difficult to conform to the restrictions imposed on her by her community. Reviews of the movie were mixed, though generally positive to Zellweger’s performance.
The title comes from a biblical quote: Proverbs 31:10, in the King James translation, says “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies”.
A Price Above Rubies (1998)
Directed by: Boaz Yakin
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Christopher Eccleston, Allen Payne, Glenn Fitzgerald, Julianna Margulies, Kim Hunter, John Randolph, Kathleen Chalfant, Edie Falco
Screenplay by: Boaz Yakin
Production Design by: Dan Leigh
Cinematography by: Adam Holender
Film Editing by: Arthur Coburn
Costume Design by: Ellen Lutter
Set Decoration by: Leslie E. Rollins
Music by: Lesley Barber
MPAA Rating: R for sexuality and brief language.
Distributed by: Miramax Films
Release Date: January 22, 1998
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