I rented this DVD four days ago and have watched it about 5 times since then. There is something that is particularly moving for me about his movie. The idea of hidden, secret love...and all the excitement and danger that involves. The idea of tenderness in the midst of so much rottenness (literally, in the first segment!). Naivety and violence so close together. And the sadness (for everyone...Yossi, Jagger, Yaeli, Lior's parents) of the inevitable societal assumption (even in the comparatively liberal atmosphere of the Israeli army) of straight-ness in a world of so much diversity and difference.
The only other film that affected me so deeply was "Stand By Me" which, ironically, was mentioned offhandedly in "Yossi and Jagger". The themes of deep care and concern for others (friendship in SBM, erotic love in Y&J) and the deepening and transforming of that care in light of being witness to a death are shared by both films. Themes that hit me hard. I suspect they hit many people hard, as well.
I've read several times on this discussion that a major weakness of "Yossi & Jagger" was its length...only a little over an hour. (Perhaps this is mostly seen as a weakness by those who had to pay full price it see it in a movie theater, instead of getting to watch it 5 times for $3.99! -joke-) Because the film was so short, it did not get as much plot and character development as it could have. Yes...perhaps...and yet...
It seems to me that a large part of the power of the film lies in its length. It is a real testament to Eytan Fox that, in the space of just about 15-20 minutes from the beginning of the movie, he made me care so much about both main characters. And throughout the movie, they both kept their appeal....I sympathized with both to the end. To be honest, there's not many people whom I've met for only 15 minutes, if they died a few days later, I would weep for them. Fox did that.
Furthermore, because there is so much about these characters that we do NOT know (like Lior's mother), we, like her, find the conclusion of the film to be particularly wrenching. I leave the film wanting...maybe even needing...to know more about Lior. Why was he wearing that damn rabbit costume to begin with?? What was his childhood and teen years like?? How did he and Yossi meet? fall in love? How long had they known each other? And what about Yossi? What will he do now? Yes....I would have liked the film to end with a shot of him sleeping alone in a queen sized bed in a hotel in Eilat...but that would have been too easy...too tidy. What does he do now? I don't know. So many questions...and no way of finding out.
I leave the film realizing that time and love are precious...so damn precious.
The only other film that affected me so deeply was "Stand By Me" which, ironically, was mentioned offhandedly in "Yossi and Jagger". The themes of deep care and concern for others (friendship in SBM, erotic love in Y&J) and the deepening and transforming of that care in light of being witness to a death are shared by both films. Themes that hit me hard. I suspect they hit many people hard, as well.
I've read several times on this discussion that a major weakness of "Yossi & Jagger" was its length...only a little over an hour. (Perhaps this is mostly seen as a weakness by those who had to pay full price it see it in a movie theater, instead of getting to watch it 5 times for $3.99! -joke-) Because the film was so short, it did not get as much plot and character development as it could have. Yes...perhaps...and yet...
It seems to me that a large part of the power of the film lies in its length. It is a real testament to Eytan Fox that, in the space of just about 15-20 minutes from the beginning of the movie, he made me care so much about both main characters. And throughout the movie, they both kept their appeal....I sympathized with both to the end. To be honest, there's not many people whom I've met for only 15 minutes, if they died a few days later, I would weep for them. Fox did that.
Furthermore, because there is so much about these characters that we do NOT know (like Lior's mother), we, like her, find the conclusion of the film to be particularly wrenching. I leave the film wanting...maybe even needing...to know more about Lior. Why was he wearing that damn rabbit costume to begin with?? What was his childhood and teen years like?? How did he and Yossi meet? fall in love? How long had they known each other? And what about Yossi? What will he do now? Yes....I would have liked the film to end with a shot of him sleeping alone in a queen sized bed in a hotel in Eilat...but that would have been too easy...too tidy. What does he do now? I don't know. So many questions...and no way of finding out.
I leave the film realizing that time and love are precious...so damn precious.