AmosL
08-17-2006, 06:36 PM
RAINBOW SKULLCAPS--THE NEW ISRAELI QUEER CINEMA
"The Bubble" , "Good Boys", and "Orthodykes"
What with the world looking at the Middle East as the war rages there and World Pride takes place in Jerusalem, Israel, Israeli film makers seemed to have put on rainbow colored skullcaps to tantalize world audiences with new queer cinema. Israel is on its way to becoming the center of gay life in Europe with its relaxed laws and equal opportunity for the queer community and by virtue of the fact that the small country was chosen to host World Pride this year says something for the liberalism the country founded on Old Testament laws shows to our lifestyle.
This liberalism and acceptance of gay and lesbians is relatively new--beginning in about 1989.
When I lived there Israel was much like pre Stonewall America, there were no laws to defend us and no rights to be granted by government. Suddenly things began to change. The now gone young film director Amos Gutman began the trend with a triad of gay films, "Drifting" ("Nagua"), "Bar 54" and "Amazing Grace" ("Chesed Mufla") and they beckoned in the age of queer movie making. (Only "Amazing Grace" is available on DVD here). Gutman's successor was Eytan Fox (Fuchs) who wowed audiences with "Yossi and Jagger" (Strand Releasing) and walked off with the Israeli Academy Award, A bittersweet tale of two Israeli soldiers in love won the hearts of people everywhere. Fox followed this with the gay themed "Walk on Water" (Sony Pictures) but this did not hit as hard and audiences did not have the same warm feeling toward it. Recently released on "Boy's Life 5" (Strand Releasing) is Fox's short film "Time Off" in which he again deals with his army theme and the conflict between an officer and a draftee. It is a beautiful movie of repressed sexual desire. Now along comes Fox's new movie "The Bubble" (HaBua) which has pushed the envelope in his sex scenes between Israeli and Arab.
"The Bubble" takes place on one street in Tel Aviv which is known for its bohemian lifestyle and hence is called the bubble-- a self styled assembly of personages of various sexuality. In this self contained bubble they become hedonistic and ignore the fighting and political strife that surrounds them.
The four main characters of the film are three gay men and a straight woman--one of the men, a Palestinian, has no residence visa and is residing there illegally. When innocent civilians are shot in a raid on an Arab village, issues come to a head. From the initial meeting of the Palestinian to the gay Israeli to the overt sex scenes and the disregard for politics of the area, it seems that this film was meant to shock. It barely gave me a tingle.
A new face on the scene of gay cinema is Yair Hochner whose film "Good Boys" ("Yeladim Tovim") satisfies completely. It is a movie about hustlers which is something you would not think about when you think about Israel. Two male "rent" boys are hired by a trick to have sex with each other and in doing so they discover feelings for each other. Menni and Tal face the dilemma of not knowing if they can have true love after such a tawdry way of becoming acquainted. Hochner captures the grittiness of the world of hustling and youth in his own semi erotic way. The relationships between the characters themselves and with others is beautifully and honestly presented. This is a kind of "My Own Private Tel Aviv" and sends authenticity and warmth from the screen to the viewer,
Finally for the ladies is "Keep Not Silent; The Orthodykes of Jerusalem" ("Et Sheava") which was screened recently at the Reel to Reel festival in Little Rock and this is the best of the bunch. Similar in construction to Sandy Dobowski's classic "Trembling Before G-d". (New Yorker Video) this is a documentary which is poignant and haunting. Ilil Alexander in her film debut won the Israeli Oscar for documentary with this study of lesbians living in the ultra Orthodox communities in Jerusalem. Here is a film about women who are torn between faith, families and their love for each other. The worlds of religion and same sex love are headed toward a crash meeting as they women attempt to remain true to God and to the women they love. It is a moving and personal documentary about the aspirations for self understanding and societal and religious acceptance. More than everything else, this is not just a movie for women because it is about women. It is for all of us who struggle with faith and acceptance and you will think about it for many days after seeing it.
Allow me to reiterate how amazing it is to see a nation like Israel with its base in Biblical law and customs to be able to send movies like these out to the rest of the world. I have not received release dates or names of companies who will be carrying these films but as soon as I do I will post them. Let me close by saying as we do in Hebrew "Tzviah Ne'ema" or happy viewing.
"The Bubble" , "Good Boys", and "Orthodykes"
What with the world looking at the Middle East as the war rages there and World Pride takes place in Jerusalem, Israel, Israeli film makers seemed to have put on rainbow colored skullcaps to tantalize world audiences with new queer cinema. Israel is on its way to becoming the center of gay life in Europe with its relaxed laws and equal opportunity for the queer community and by virtue of the fact that the small country was chosen to host World Pride this year says something for the liberalism the country founded on Old Testament laws shows to our lifestyle.
This liberalism and acceptance of gay and lesbians is relatively new--beginning in about 1989.
When I lived there Israel was much like pre Stonewall America, there were no laws to defend us and no rights to be granted by government. Suddenly things began to change. The now gone young film director Amos Gutman began the trend with a triad of gay films, "Drifting" ("Nagua"), "Bar 54" and "Amazing Grace" ("Chesed Mufla") and they beckoned in the age of queer movie making. (Only "Amazing Grace" is available on DVD here). Gutman's successor was Eytan Fox (Fuchs) who wowed audiences with "Yossi and Jagger" (Strand Releasing) and walked off with the Israeli Academy Award, A bittersweet tale of two Israeli soldiers in love won the hearts of people everywhere. Fox followed this with the gay themed "Walk on Water" (Sony Pictures) but this did not hit as hard and audiences did not have the same warm feeling toward it. Recently released on "Boy's Life 5" (Strand Releasing) is Fox's short film "Time Off" in which he again deals with his army theme and the conflict between an officer and a draftee. It is a beautiful movie of repressed sexual desire. Now along comes Fox's new movie "The Bubble" (HaBua) which has pushed the envelope in his sex scenes between Israeli and Arab.
"The Bubble" takes place on one street in Tel Aviv which is known for its bohemian lifestyle and hence is called the bubble-- a self styled assembly of personages of various sexuality. In this self contained bubble they become hedonistic and ignore the fighting and political strife that surrounds them.
The four main characters of the film are three gay men and a straight woman--one of the men, a Palestinian, has no residence visa and is residing there illegally. When innocent civilians are shot in a raid on an Arab village, issues come to a head. From the initial meeting of the Palestinian to the gay Israeli to the overt sex scenes and the disregard for politics of the area, it seems that this film was meant to shock. It barely gave me a tingle.
A new face on the scene of gay cinema is Yair Hochner whose film "Good Boys" ("Yeladim Tovim") satisfies completely. It is a movie about hustlers which is something you would not think about when you think about Israel. Two male "rent" boys are hired by a trick to have sex with each other and in doing so they discover feelings for each other. Menni and Tal face the dilemma of not knowing if they can have true love after such a tawdry way of becoming acquainted. Hochner captures the grittiness of the world of hustling and youth in his own semi erotic way. The relationships between the characters themselves and with others is beautifully and honestly presented. This is a kind of "My Own Private Tel Aviv" and sends authenticity and warmth from the screen to the viewer,
Finally for the ladies is "Keep Not Silent; The Orthodykes of Jerusalem" ("Et Sheava") which was screened recently at the Reel to Reel festival in Little Rock and this is the best of the bunch. Similar in construction to Sandy Dobowski's classic "Trembling Before G-d". (New Yorker Video) this is a documentary which is poignant and haunting. Ilil Alexander in her film debut won the Israeli Oscar for documentary with this study of lesbians living in the ultra Orthodox communities in Jerusalem. Here is a film about women who are torn between faith, families and their love for each other. The worlds of religion and same sex love are headed toward a crash meeting as they women attempt to remain true to God and to the women they love. It is a moving and personal documentary about the aspirations for self understanding and societal and religious acceptance. More than everything else, this is not just a movie for women because it is about women. It is for all of us who struggle with faith and acceptance and you will think about it for many days after seeing it.
Allow me to reiterate how amazing it is to see a nation like Israel with its base in Biblical law and customs to be able to send movies like these out to the rest of the world. I have not received release dates or names of companies who will be carrying these films but as soon as I do I will post them. Let me close by saying as we do in Hebrew "Tzviah Ne'ema" or happy viewing.