Stockholm Film Festival

Haim Tabakman's first feature film is a taboo-breaking story of gay love within Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox community. The film centers on Aaron, a butcher who is married with four children, and a handsome young student, Ezri, who wanders into his life. Aaron takes Ezri under his wing as an apprentice and soon their desire is sparked. When a local rabbi warns Aaron to expel Ezri from his life, Aaron refuses. Soon, the community responds not only with disapproval but also violence. Following in the tradition of other recent Israeli gay themed films, such as Eytan Fox's breakout "Yossi and Jagger" and "The Bubble", Aaron and Ezri's forbidden love plays out within a deeply conservative environment. What fascinates about "Eyes Wide Open" is that it does not condemn orthodox religion as any more suffocating than any other social group that dictates morals or group principles. The film instead provides a fascinating and nuanced exploration of the tension between personal desire and religious duty.ASHLEY SMITH

Orig. title

Einaym Pkuhot

Cast

Zohar Shtrauss, Ran Danker, Tzahi Grad, Isaac Sharry, Avi Grainik

Producer

Rafael Katz

Script

Merav Doster

Cinematography

Axel Schneppat

Music

Nathaniel Mechaly

Spoken language

Hebrew, Yiddish

Subtitle

English

 

Other films from the Competition section

See all the festival films from 2009