The course of true love rarely runs smooth, but if you are an Israeli Jewish gay man who falls for a Palestinian Arab gay man, then the chances are that you are completely doomed from the start. In this remarkable and moving take on ‘Romeo & Juliet’ director Eyton Fox follows up ‘Yossi & Jaegar’ his sensational heart-breaking tale of love between two Israeli soldiers, with this new story of a Middle-Eastern tragic romance that crosses the racial divide.
During the week, Noam works in a record store in Tel Aviv and parties with his left-leaning roommates. On weekends, as part of his military service he has to patrol a Border Checkpoint, where he meets and almost immediately falls in love with a Palestinian named Ashraf. Just getting to be together is both dangerous and illegal for these 20-something year olds, and when it looks like Ashraf may get caught and deported he flees back home where he gets trapped in the plans for his sister’s impending marriage to an Arab terrorist.
Noam tries to stage an intervention but when he and Ashraf are discovered in an intimate embrace by his future brother-in-law, the rescue attempt is quickly called off. Now that his sexuality has been exposed, and his family are insisting he marries the girl they have selected for him, it is even more imperative that Ashraf makes it back to Tel Aviv & Noam.
There are some wonderful comic moments in this tender and touching romance that is part of a small slew of new queer movies that are raising the bar with such a high standard of love stories that gay (and straight) audiences can so eagerly relate too. The fact that this one ends so tragically only adds more depth and resonance, and the need for yet another box of Kleenex.Impeccable compassionate script from Fox and his life partner Gal Uchovsky, with a great cast lead by Fox movie regular Ohad Knoeller, and a sensational soundtrack by Israeli musical heartthrob Ivri Lider, the movie won numerous Awards up and down the country and it will most certainly become a gay classic. Don’t miss it.
Labels: 2005, drama, gay, Israeli, Jewish, nudity, romance, tragedy
