Review by Doug Cooper
Stars Zohar Strauss, Ran Danker, Tinkerbell Ravit Rozen, Tzahi Grad, Isaac Sharry, Avi Grayinik, Eva Zrihen-Attali, Haim Zanati, Mati Atlas, Iftach Ophir
Written by Merav Doster
Certification UK 12A | US PG-13
Runtime 90 minutes
Directed by Haim Tabakman
If one is being cheap and cheeky, you'd label this effort a Jewish Brokeback Mountain. It's a slow-burning, thoughtful drama set in Jerusalem detailing the travails of Aaron (Strauss), an orthodox Jewish butcher. He's married with children and one day, swarthy student Ezri (Danker) pops into his shop looking for work. Aaron offers him a job and over time the two men's feelings for each other come to fruition and they begin an illicit affair. They go skinny dippinmg together in the nearby springs and conduct their sexual trysts in Ezri's dilapidated room above the shop. Aaron's wife notices a change in her husband and the local rabbi becomes suspicious too.
Running parallel to this story, however. is a subplot involving Sara (Zrihen-Attali), a shopkeeper who has been promised in marriage to a man by her father, but who is also conducting an affair with another man. When the villagers turn up to the culprit's house and threaten him it has all the markings of a Western – the bad guys approaching in black suits and black hats casting an intimidating stance.
This is actually one of the best scenes in the movie, bringing some welcome tension to the proceedings. Much of the narrative shows the mundane day to day existence of life in Aaron's shop – the meat on display looks mightily unappealing – coupled with long furtive looks between the two men trying to hide their longing for each other. When they finally get down to a passionate clinch, however, you never actually see them kiss each other.
If one is being polite, one could term this film as being glacially paced and subtly understated. But if one is honest, it's simply extermely slow and very boring. The cast can't be faulted - they all give convincing performances and the the leads are impressively nuanced in drawing out their respective passion. It's a worthy drama with its heart in the right place but needs far more vigour and vitality to hit home.