Yossi And Jagger Details

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Budget cinema at its best

This is sort of a remake of the last episode of Blackadder Goes Forth, but with no jokes and an extra twist. We spend a day in an Israeli army outpost following the two lead characters struggling to synchronise their expectations from each other. Certainly not a stereotypical setting for a gay romance. Considering that the film was probably shot in a day with no budget, it is fantastically smooth and effortless as the tension builds towards the final 'death charge' scene. All characters are wonderfully cold and emotionless, what an unusual treat, culminating in the last scene, when Yossi meeets Yagger's family for the first time - at Yagger's funeral and as a complete and ignored outsider.

A small gem

One of the best gay themed films I've seen though only just over an hour long. A good story well told, with excellent performances and characters like real people. A familiar enough scenario, with two gay lovers, one flamboyant and happy with his sexuality, the other more conflicted and reticent about open display of intimacy. But the setting, a remote border outpost between Israel and Lebanon and circumstances, compulsory military service, make this something special. Without any explicit sex or nudity the film simply shows two men in love under very difficult circumstances, trying to make their way through a stressful situation and be together. Yossi loves Jagger but finds it hard to say so. Meanwhile Jagger wants a real commitment from Yossi and to bring their relationship into the open. How this is resolved is far removed from trite Hollywood endings, so touching you'll find yourself thinking about the film days later. Music adds much to a film that doesn't waste a word or a shot. Handheld camera work lends a naturalistic documentary feel. Though it involves the Israeli army politics & religion don't figure, and the 'enemy' remains unseen. No big drama and action sequences but a taste of what war is really like, mostly sitting around passing the time with occasional bursts of lethal danger. I want to buy this one.