Discovering a Hidden Past – For the Love of a Woman

Jun 4, 2026 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Two Sues on the Aisle, Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston

For the Love of a Woman, a film by Guido Chiesa, based on the novel The Loves of Judith by Meir Shalev, shares the tangled tale of a strained mother-daughter relationship, whose essence is revealed by digging into the past, beginning with a locket, and a trip to Israel. This 117-minute film intertwines a 1970s mystery with a 1930s love story. The film opens in the 1970s as Esther (Mili Avital), an American woman, receives a letter written by her recently deceased mother providing instructions to uncover a hidden chapter of her family’s past. She unravels the mystery of a woman who lived in a rural village during the British Mandate for Palestine. What she discovers changes everything she thought she knew about herself.

Turning Back Time

Esther reluctantly embarks on a journey to Israel, requested by her late mother with an envelope containing a necklace and a torn baby picture of herself that she had never seen. She begins piecing together the past, discovering inconsistencies, new details, and forming a connection with Israel, the land of her birth. She finds herself looking for information about a woman named Yehudit (Ana Ularu), an early Jewish settler, whose story is revealed through a patchwork of memories across time.

With the help of a lawyer, Esther makes the necessary connections in Israel and meets Zayde (Ori Pfeffer), a teacher selling Yehudit’s house. More unusual than his name is Zayde’s parentage. He has three fathers. Moshe, a grieving widower (Alban Ukaj) raising two children on his own. Yaakov (Marc Rissmann), a romantic dream-filled farmer raising canaries, and Globerman (Serhii Kysil), a wealthy cattle trader.

Moshe had brought, Yehudit, to the village to care for his children and cows. Although she attracts the attention of potential suitors, she just wants to be left to her work and to live in the barn with the cows. Yehudit is an enigma, keeping her past a mystery. She lives in the moment, bonding with Moshe’s daughter and bringing order and joy back to their life.

The pieces start to fit together, completing the torn photograph. Esther continues collecting information about Yehudit, revealing the narrative of her life. For the Love of a Woman is a tragic love story that will keep the audience guessing until the final scene.

A Decidedly Jewish Story

In the 1930s, Jewish settlers lived on rustic rural farms in wooden shacks, on swampland. The movie shows them purchasing desolate land and working hard to develop it, creating a small community. The harsh conditions resulted in accidents, like Moshe’s wife’s untimely death. These images, though seldom shown, provide insights into the dedication and desperate existence of the young, strong early pioneers who were devoted to building a vibrant life, turning the desert into a Jewish homeland. After escaping persecution in Europe they were determined to build a new, egalitarian, compassionate society.

Finding Family  

For the Love of a Woman shows how far we can stretch for family. It touches on the many facets of love, as a mother, a daughter, and a wife, and shares how painful yet essential it is to discover the truth of your story. Esther’s journey connects the past with the present, revealing a shared destiny, as love and family provide renewed hope for the future. Delivering a universally relatable story with a poignant twist.

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Upcoming Screenings

• June 15 – Israel Film Center Film Festical – Marlene Meyerson JCC [334 Amsterdam Ave at, W 76th St]
• Opening June 26 – New York, NY – Quad Cinema
• July 6 – 8 – Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan [334 Amsterdam Ave at, W 76th St]
• Opening July 10 – Los Angeles, CA- Laemmle Royal
• Opening July 10 – Encino, CA- Laemmle Town Center
• Opening July 10, Delray Beach & Lake Worth, Boca
• Opening July 17, Mary, D. Fisher Theater, Sedona, Arizona
• Opening July 17, Harkins Theater Scottsdale, Arizona

Additional theaters nationwide to be announced here.

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Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) to see the play, show, film, book, or exhibit being reviewed.

For the Love of a Woman received a 4 Challah rating

Runtime: 117 minutes