This is How Movies Should Be Made

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

only story of a meeting. not different by many others. but special for the circle of community who is used as scene. a film who has not great heroes and, maybe, not a touching love story. only the clash between family, passion and need to be fair to law, family, yours feelings. result - a beautiful film. not spectacular but almost strange. for the dialog who preserves shadows of taboo. for the characters who seems be sketches of theirs desires. for the delicate manner to translate slices of silence in image and word. for the tension who is different by the films from the same genre. the delicacy used for present the story. that is the basic virtue. and the key for a film who has force for the wise exploration of fragility of an relationship.

Unfortunately, as in many films coming from Israel there are deep flaws in the making of the film. For some reason the Israeli film industry loves to make films focusing on the Orthodox community and setting up a rather bland love affair between two religious men - well it becomes so ordinary and so expected. There is nothing interesting, no drama, no dynamics, no ups and downs. All that talent and it goes nowhere. The acting is poor, and I blame that on the director. I'm not sure what the point of the story is. Forbidden love? Of course it is forbidden but this is not a love story. And in many ways too unrealistic to even give it any weight.I feel bad that with some much talent in Israel, in all aspects of film making so few really good solid films are actually produced. Instead, just because it is about homosexuality and set in the Orthodox community every one gets a bit excited! But it has nothing to do with film making.

My first real insight into Jewish culture came when I read Mark Twain's eulogy on the subject. His lapidary essay talked of their (Jews') contributions to society being 'extravagantly out of proportion with the smallness of their bulk'. I was stunned then, and I continue to be awed by this meritorious minority. It was with some ambivalence then, that I decided to see Haim Tabakman's 'Eyes Wide Open', a film about forbidden love set amongst an Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem.Aaron Fleischman (Zohar Shtrauss) is ascetic and respected by his peers. He has a solid family unit, but there is a profound void in his life. He reopens his late father's butchers and finds he needs help. Enter Ezri (Ran Danker), a winsome, wandering student, whom Aaron hires, ostensibly to get closer to God.The assumption is that Ezri is already gay. He has a past and the rumour is that he is a 'curse to righteous men'. At first, Aaron rejects Ezri's advances. He says, without believing it himself, that 'God created lust for catharsis of the soul'. But soon they are closing early to engage in acts of licentious carnality.I found the under-acting, especially by Aaron, deeply irritating. Sure, he meant to convey an unspoken love, but he is never anything but aloof. Perhaps that was the intention. The few ethical debates Aaron has with his Rabbi are interesting (the Rabbi believes that alcohol can be consumed because 'God does not want us to suffer').With more impassioned acting and more set pieces (instead of the myriad shots of meat being chopped), it could have rivalled 'Brokeback Mountain' or 'My Beautiful Laundrette'. If nothing else, it was captivating to explore the world of this private, but extraordinary people. There was no need whatever for the full-on nudity in the final scene. Have we come to the point where we think that 12-year-olds can see absolutely anything and not be affected? It's surprising it didn't cause an outcry. 'Brokeback' had suspense and excitement, 'Laundrette' was fearless. With my eyes wide open, I couldn't see what this film had to offer.www.scottishreview.net

A simple story, gently told, in a stark setting of almost medieval religiosity. I'm middle-aged gay European agnostic from Christian background and found this film enchanting and entertaining although sombre and downbeat. The 'purity police' were scary talibanesque types: you will comply or else. I did not know about such compliance methods in Judaism.The intolerance towards the 'seducer' gay man was ugly, so far removed from secular/reform attitudes around me.The main character (the butcher Aaron) was unfulfilled after siring four children and still having a loving and beautiful wife, felt 'dead inside'. But was that from the recent loss of his father, or some other reasons than just lust?