The Bubble (2006) User Reviews

Borders and Bridges

[gradyharp · 8/10 · 19 February 2008]

The Israeli/Palestinian conflict persists and while the world may be aware of the violence surrounding the division of the two countries, few have a clue to the other aspect of the division - the group of people who want peace and work toward eradicating the separation. Eytan Fox, in THE BUBBLE ('Ha-Buah'), has created a much needed alternative viewpoint of the schism, electing to tell a story that contains some fine humor, a lot of love, and a taste of brutal reality. It is a window into a situation that begs for understanding.

In Tel Aviv three close friends are roommates: Lulu (Daniela Virtzer), a beautiful young woman with strong opinions; Yali (Alon Friedman), a very 'out' gay young man who works in a popular café; and Noam (Ohad Knoller), a handsome, somewhat shy fellow who, in addition to his day job in a music shop, is a member of the National Guard and therefore spends his free time serving as a guard at the city's checkpoints. It is during one of these guard duty weekends that he meets a young Palestinian named Ashraf (Yousef 'Joe' Sweid), and a mutual attraction occurs. The three friends decide to 'stowaway' the illegally present Ashraf (whom they nickname with an Israeli name) and while Ashraf and Noam settle into a love relationship, Yali hires Ashraf at his café, and Yali and Lulu both proceed to find love interests, too. All goes well until Ashraf must return home for his sister's wedding. Though in Tel Aviv Ashraf has been able to be openly gay with Noam, life is far different in Jerusalem: Ashraf is told he must marry his sister's groom-to-be sister. In an attempt to rescue Ashraf from his fate, Noam and Lulu disguise themselves as French reporters to gain access to Ashraf. In a moment of supposed seclusion, Noam and Ashraf are discovered kissing by the groom-to-be, and this act gives cause for blackmail in order for Ashraf to remain 'in the closet'.

While the young people in Tel Aviv are dancing at an event to raise attention for peaceful coexistence, an attack occurs in Jerusalem - one that has grave consequences not only immediately, but also in the revenge mission Ashraf must now assume. The ending is tragic on many levels and it underlines just how serious the problem between these two countries is.

The acting is so very natural that from both the comedic and the tragic aspects the audience completely believes in these beautiful young people. The story finds the right balance between the serious and the lighthearted and it is this balance than makes Eytan Fox such a fine writer/director. More people should watch this important and very fine film. In Hebrew, Arabic, and English with subtitles. Grady Harp

Impossible love in Israeli context

[andrejs-visockis · 8/10 · 26 September 2007]

Since the advent of literature, people of all nationalities have been fascinated and easily touched by accounts of unhappy love. Even more fascinating have always been the tales of impossible love, love that cannot be. The Israeli filmmaker Eytan Fox' latest film „The Bubble" is about that. And then it is also not. The title of the film refers to the „bubble" that is Tel-Aviv set against the background of the political realities of Israel. The country's cosmopolitan and unofficial capital city doesn't have much in common with Nablus, a city in the Palestinian West Bank which also features in the film. It doesn't have much in common with the tense and hateful atmosphere at the Palestinian checkpoints. Actually, it doesn't seem to have much in common with anything surrounding it. The „bubble" of Tel-Aviv allows people to have a lifestyle which isn't much different from what you may expect in any Western city. Teenage girls looking for Britney Spears' records, a lifestyle magazine editor looking for a sexy cover for his next issue, trendy people sitting in trendy cafes discussing trendy things over cups of cappuccino and other similarly trendy drinks, while those at home are watching the local edition of Pop Idol. It is this „bubble" that also has the potential to lull one's mind into a false sense of reality.

The film evolves around the lives of three young Israelis who share a flat and, for the most part, try to stay out of politics. Yelli, the camp owner and manager of „Orna & Ella", a hip cafe, rarely leaves the city and prefers not to think about the „crap that surrounds them". Noam, a soft and easygoing employee of a slightly avantguard record store, seems to be equally unwilling to engage in long political discussions and contemplations. Lulu, the only female of the lot, is on the contrary linked to the Israeli Left, although her political activities seem to be confined to „raves against the occupation". Yelli and Noam naturally don't object to participating in these. Lulu and her political friends make t-shirts with the rave's logo, put up posters and hand out booklets advertising it in the neighbourhood. Their main concern seems to be that there are never any actual Palestinians participating and that the police might come and spoil all the fun for them again. The closest they come to an actual confrontation is when they get into a scuffle with some not so Palestinian-friendly locals who try to prevent them from handing out the leaflets. In other words, predictable products of the „bubble".

The opening scenes of the film take us to a checkpoint on a road to Nablus where we also find Noam doing his reserve duty. A group of Palestinians is being thoroughly checked before entering Israel, among them a pregnant woman who suddenly goes into labour and gives birth to a stillborn child despite the best efforts from Noam and the doctor who eventually arrives in an ambulance. The woman is comforted by a young man who later turns up on Noam's doorstep in Tel-Aviv with his ID which the latter obviously dropped during the ordeal on the border. His name is Ashraf, he's Palestinian and he's gay. And he hasn't just come to hand back the ID, he has come to see Noam. Without a permit to live in Israel and despite the initial hesitation from Noam's flatmates he stays. He soon gets a Jewish name and a job at Yelli's cafe. Having grown up in Jerusalem with Hebrew, he doesn't have an Arabic accent which makes it possible for him and his newly found friends to conceal his identity. The sky is light blue and the air is sweet. But it cannot last. For he has become part of an equation which was never meant to be.

At one point, Noam and Ashraf watch a play called Bent about two prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp who have a love relationship which can never become physical or visible to the surrounding guards. They find a way of being together on another level, a metaphysical one, a level where no one else has access. This is also where our couple arrives in the end. And it couldn't have been much different for them, not in today's Israel.

„The Bubble" is a political statement about the bubble that bursts when confronted with the political realities of today's Israel set against the background of a beautiful and awkward love story involving an Israeli and a Palestinian, the impossible love story in a divided world where no such things as compromise or other colours than black and white exist. „The Bubble" is also a beautiful film about people, gay and straight, inhabiting that strange city, Tel-Aviv, shown through the eyes of people who really care about them. The film's premise may have its flaws and the fatal chain of events may seem somewhat construed, but its strong message and emotional impact will not leave you untouched.

a director who deserves attention

[okrim37 · 7/10 · 27 May 2007]

It's difficult to not have a liking for Israeli director Eytan Fox and for his movies, which describe the life in the middle east and the inherent problems gay people can have in these regions. Besides he also gave voice to the young generations, and to the remarkable part of them, who really need PEACE and who want to take no further notice of a war that for too much time marked the existences of people, both in Israel both in Palestine. These reasons, in my opinion, are sufficient to consider Fox a noteworthy director, even when his feeling for the melodrama is a tad out of control. However the fans of his movies (that he realized on team with Gal Uchovsky, his producer, co-screenwriter and also life companion) seem to not being vexed by this, since his new feature, THE BUBBLE (HA-BUAH), is having the same success of the previous YOSSI & JAGGER and WALK ON THE WATER. Announced as a contemporary gay version of "Romeo & Juliet", set in the present day Tel Aviv instead of Verona and with two men (one Israeli and the other Palestinian) at the place of the two Shakespearean young lovers, the film actually is quite different from that or, better, it's also something else. In fact the bubble of the title is the world apart in which the leading man, Noam, played by the Fox regular Ohad Knoller (Yossi in YOSSI & JAGGER, but I must confess I miss Jagger, the astonishing Yehuda Levi!) and his two co-tenants, a guy and a girl, chose to live. Around thirty-years-old, restless, witty and firm (despite the protagonist just spent a period as national service in a checkpoint on the frontier with the Palestine) to live a life that won't be only made of war. The two guys are gay and along with the girl they have established a trio in which they brotherly love and support each other. Their lives are destined to change when Noam falls in love with Ashraf (the TV star Yousef 'Joe' Sweid) a young Palestinian who came to live in Tel Aviv. The laws so far in force among the group are neglected, but not the will to aid one friend. Still it won't be easy for Noam and his friends, 'cause Ashraf is clandestine in Israel and in the meantime his family, who lives in Palestine and doesn't know he's gay, is looking forward to settle his wedding with a very beautiful girl, who is a relative of Ashraf's beloved sister bridegroom-to-be, who he is also a terrorist and he will have a strong liability in the development of the plot, with consequences not just for the two men. Because the prejudices against the homosexuality and the peace (interesting dualism, if not automatic) are stubborn and so the tragedy is unavoidable. Even if the film focus on the obstacles the relationship between Noam and Ashraf meets with, it doesn't the overlook the other characters, which turn out well written (for example Golan, the boyfriend of Yelli, Noam's fellow tenant, introduced as a lively boor, and then disclosed as a sweeter and more open minded person) and aptly performed (besides the two leads, we mustn't disregard the funny Zohar Liba and the lovely Daniela Virtzer, the girl of the gang; moreover LATE MARRIAGE's star Lior Ashkenazi appears as himself in a cameo). It also melds the gloomy tones with the more brilliant ones, even if the director can't do without a melodramatic conclusion. I watched this movie more than a month ago and in the meantime I often thought about it, proof that Fox and his pal have a knack to strike home.

A powerful film

[Gordon-11 · 29 May 2014]

This film tells the love story of a young Israeli soldier and a Palestinian man. Their journey is full of difficulties, as the war breaks out and racial tension mounts.

"The Bubble" examines what it is like to have a relationship in a society full of racial tensions and people with closed minds. I feel for Ashraf so much, as his family is not accepting towards his sexuality, and also the tragic events that occur in his family towards the end of the film. Fortunately, the film has lighter moments, as the youngsters party their way through the night in the name of peace.

The ending few seconds are so powerful that it has a haunting effect on me. Even though "The Bubble" is more of a romantic comedy than a depressing drama, it still will move everyone to tears.

Well-Made, Watchable

[Franco-LA · 6/10 · 4 July 2008]

I've seen nearly all of this director's film and found somethings that were not to my taste in all of them. This particular film, because it focus on a political conflict with religious and historical reaches that go back centuries, will never be simply viewed as a piece of art, but for the purpose of this review, I will limit my comments to technical ones regarding the film, performances, scripts, production, etc.

Technically, this is a very proficient film. The performances are, for the most part, uniformly good, particularly among the leads and most of the significant supporting characters. The description of it by some users as a sort of Sex In The City / Friend's hybrid is only correct to the extent that parts of the movie have that vibe and such relationships are universal, irrespective of whether the friends are in New York, Tel Avi, Buenos Aires or Tokyo. However, this movie is not a situation comedy by any stretch of anyone's imagination, nor does it resolves its problems in neat, compact story arcs. The script presents many interesting and intriguing elements. Where it takes liberties, it is clear that these are necessary to move the story forward.

The movie is watchable and well-made. It's certainly worth the rental and certainly thought- provoking. However, I cannot give it a strong recommendation purely for the fact that it disappointed me greatly in certain key parts, particularly the ending.

Amazing film

[dortner01 · 10/10 · 8 July 2006]

I am currently on vacation in Israel for summer, and so was able to see this incredible film. A bit of a warning before I begin writing: I speak fluent Hebrew, and so the Hebrew parts were no problem; however, about a quarter (a bit less) of the film is in Arabic, and I was unable to understand a bit of this subtitled bit. This did not detract from my understanding of the film, but did cause me to miss a few jokes which evoked some strong laughs in the theater.

After a year of American Cinema which many hailed as one of the greatest years for homosexual cinema and relationships, it takes something truly special to stand head and shoulders above the rest; yet, "The Bubble" surpasses all others with its blend of excellent acting, witty dialogue, and relevant political climate.

The film opens on a checkpoint on the Israeli-Palestinian border; For the first few moments, we are unsure about the type of movie we have walked in on. Yet, this is an important element of this film's strength. The political situation, and the extreme tension in the air is constantly in the background. Most importantly, Tel Aviv serves as a character of its own in this film. It is constantly referenced. Street names and restaurant names are constantly exchanged. The skyline and city development is critiqued quite harshly, and ultimately the city evolves along with the film The film focuses on the love between Noam (Ohad Knoller) and a Palestinian immigrant, Ashraf(Yousef 'Joe' Sweid), with the societies of Tel Aviv and Palestine serving as a constant foil. We always know that their relationship is forbidden, and this creates a sense of urgency rarely present in cinema. The love is incredibly strong, and stands as the centerpiece of the film. The secondary relationships and friendships are equally strong: flamboyant restaurant owner Yelli's ( Yousef 'Joe' Sweid) relationship with the ultra-butch and grating golani solider, Golan (Zohar Liba), is particularly a source of amusement. The love scenes which abound in this film are all exquisite, fine crafted works of art, and the cinematography is astounding: In the first love scene of the film, the camera pans down as a male character gives oral sex to Lulu (Daniela Virtzer), and dissolves into a shot of Noam and Ashraf. This shot any many others lead the viewer to realize that all of these relationships are expressions of the very same form of love.

To give away more of the storyline would be a tragedy, but know that there is a lot of political tension and tragedy which touches onto the current world political climate, so I will instead focus on the witty dialogue. Even when watching this movie in my second language, I could not stop laughing throughout. Lines of particular amusement include the question of whether gay suicide bombers receive virgin women or men in heaven, and an analogy of Sampson from the bible as the worlds first suicide bomber. This dialogue shows a particular sense of purity and reality which is rarely seen in Cinema. The music used in the film is also particularly powerful. Music is only used in times when characters legitimately could or should be listening to it, and in one scene the music weakens when a character removes one earphone and stops when he removes the other. Little elements like this truly elevate the film.

I could not give greater recommendation to a film; this is a superb work of cinema which is catharthic as well as extremely well crafted.

Popping the bubble

[cowboyandvampire · 7/10 · 11 November 2012]

This is a sweet, poignant look at young lives and loves in Tel Aviv and the damning, degrading effects of the political landscape around it. The central characters laughingly call Tel Aviv "the Bubble" because it seems insulated from the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Territories. As the movie brings to light, that is clearly not the case. The hatred, anger, blind violence, "otherization" and decades (centuries?) of mistrust on both sides color everything and everyone the question becomes are they blind to it or just so scarred they can't recognize it.

The movie focuses on the relationships — familial, sexual and friendships — between three long-time friends, two gay men and one hetero woman. Their chemistry and crazy lives would make for an entirely enjoyable romantic comedy without the layers of cultural context and history, but with the addition of, it creates a memorable, urgent and rewarding story.

When one of the men falls for a gay Palestinian, their bubble is popped irreversibly as they are all forced to confront the realities of life in a region defined — and seemingly sustained by — hatred. And being a gay Palestinian, it would seem, means twice the agony and hardships as there is little tolerance for alternative life styles within that culture and religion. That's less the case in Israel, at least according to the movie.

I appreciated the straightforward, unflinching approach the film brought to the love scenes, regardless of orientation. The sex scenes between the men were just as sweet, tentative and passionate — more so in fact — than the sex scenes featuring the girl. Even though the movie is now six years old, this approach resonates with me because same-sex scenes usually lack the same … panache as different-sex scenes, at least in Hollywood style movies. (Hollywood, check the election results and get with the times; love is love).

The entire cast was effective, but Daniella Wircer as Lulu was awesome. She had such great energy; truly a rare talent.

This is a fine movie and one that, it seems to a westerner, excavates the Israeli/Palestinian conflict effectively and without finger-pointing. It also reminds us that we all have a role to play in ending hatred and cycles of violence.

--www.cowboyandvampire.com--

A brilliant heart-moving piece

[imdb-13871 · 9/10 · 17 July 2007]

Eytan Fox did it again : move the viewer's heart in a modest story taking place in an overwhelming mess. The movie also succeeds in describing so perfectly and subtly the atmosphere of the incredible city that is Tel Aviv.

I was there a month ago and it is all there : the lifestyle, the relationships, the heart-beating city, the mess, the chock of utopian mindsets in the most light-hearted, blithe and oblivious megalopolis ever.

Strongly recommend: it is a voyage for the heart and the mind, with an interesting perspective to the Israelo-Palestinian conflict.

Nota Bene: There is central gay plot in the movie. If you do not think you are too gay-friendly, be prepared to be challenged and finally see it as "just love". (and don't worry: the chick is hot too!)

It's One Of THE BEST!

[ankagorod · 10/10 · 3 September 2007]

It's one of the best movies I've seen in the last 2 years (I've seen the premier in Tel-Aviv, Israel in the summer of 2006, exactly when the last war has began...) This problem in communication between the people, that causes wars, is interesting me for a long time, and it doesn't matter who- boys and girls, straight and gays, Jews and Arabs... I've seen the Bubble already 3 times, and it still surprising and exciting me- each character reminds me of one of the many people i know, and the difference between them, like between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem... The last time i saw it- was with my friend, who is a Christian Arab, and it was on the independence day of Israel ( the most symbolic i could ! how ironic) and... he cried in the end!!! - if he's been touched and wasn't embarrassed- everyone would be touched by The Bubble!

A real life depiction of life on both sides of the checkpoint.

[treefingers098 · 10/10 · 4 November 2006]

I saw this movie when I was in Israel for the summer. my Hebrew is not fluent, so the subtitles were very useful, I didn't feel lost at any point in the movie. You tend to get used to subtitles after about 5 minutes.

This movie blew me away!!!!!! It depicts two of the most prominent taboos in the middle east today: A homosexual relationship between an Israeli and a Palestinian. It allows a person to enter both realms of the conflict simultaneously. The dilemma, the emotions entailed. The movie climaxes in tragedy when anger and rage drive one of the lovers to one extremist side! an absolute must see!!

"The Bubble" is a bust

[sftiger · 1/10 · 2 June 2007]

"The Bubble" is an effort to make a gay Romeo & Juliet type of story with an Israeli and a Palestinian, although it seems to come at it by way of "Friends" or "Beverly Hills 90210." The characters are shallow and trite as are the dialog and plot line. The movie seems torn between fluff and depth. On the one hand there is a pointed effort at being shallow as (in one example of many) some minor characters even ask questions that invite development of insight into the conflicts at hand, and get answers like, "Hey, we're here to make a poster for a rave against the occupation. Don't get political!" Beyond the obvious absurdity of such a line, it's just one of many ham-fisted signals that the movie is just as hollow and insubstantial as its title suggests. On the other hand, the movie's main pretension to depth follows the lovers to a presentation of "Bent" a play about gays in a Nazi labor camp. The scene on stage is awkwardly rushed, undermining its erotic power (understandable given the constraints of film-time, but still this could have been edited to much better effect.) and comes off as flimsily as the rest of the film. Too bad. This play deserves much better.

The characters are so one-dimensionally cartoony some even have names that telegraph their entire (though the word seems inappropriate here) substance. The aggressive soldier from the crack Golani brigade is named "Golan." The militant Palestinian is named "Jihad." The striving-for-chic faghag roommate is "Lulu." Anyone familiar with the checkpoints and life in Palestine, whether from real life or documentaries will find the checkpoint scenes as absurdly unreal as… well, the rest of this fluffy fantasy. When a Palestinian woman goes into the fastest labor on record Israeli soldiers are solicitous and helpful, an ambulance shows up in minutes. (The outcome of the birth serves to show the Palestinians as unappreciative of Israeli beneficence and even downright paranoiac.) Altogether the checkpoint is shown as a mere nuisance, not the series of bone-numbing, soul-crushing, humiliating obstructions with no regard for medical care or necessity in cases of birth, death, or severe illness. Ashraf, the Palestinian lover, seems to get through from Nablus to Tel Aviv with no problems, no papers, no hassles. He just shows up whenever he likes. When the Israelis want to get through it is much more of a challenge involving a scheme worthy of Lucy Ricardo.

Against the backdrop of nice, supportive Israelis and surly homophobic Palestinians we move to a resolution that is utterly lacking in motivation or purpose – except as a painfully obvious dramatic device to milk sympathy for the forbidden lovers.

Gay Israeli-Palestinian romance has been handled on stage with much more skill and depth as in Saleem's "Salaam/Shalom" so this film is hardly even as groundbreaking as some people would like to think.

Gloriously bad films – like the works of Ed Wood -- at least have some striking idiosyncrasy to distinguish them. This one doesn't even have that going for it. Most of the sound track sounds like Simon and Garfunkel on quaaludes, and even with the weird oedipal touches to the gay sex scenes, the general incompetence that pervades this movie plays out like a mediocre TV-movie-of-the-week.

About relationships

[jaanayli · 10/10 · 13 May 2007]

I got this one a few weeks ago and love it! It's modern, light but filled with true complexities of life. It questions and answers, just like other Eytan Fox movies. This is my favorite, along with Jossi & Jagger. This pictures a lot more, universally, than only the bubbles we may live in. You don't need to be Jewish or homosexual to enjoy this - I'm not, but the movie goes directly to my top ten movies. At first it seems like pure entertainment but it does make you think further. Relationships we have to live with are superficial, meaningful, deep, fatal, you name it. You don't know what's coming, and you definitely don't know where this story is heading as you watch it the first time. It is worth seeing several times. Fox movies include great bonus material - here a great music video and "the making of" (including explanation of the title, interviewing Lior Ashknenazi who plays himself in the movie and Arabs with doubts about the Israeli life styles).

Romeo and Romeo

[hughman55 · 10/10 · 7 December 2009]

You could be forgiven for mistaking this low budget indie for a great film. "The Bubble" centers on two men, Noam and Ashwar, an Israle and Palestinian respectively, who meet, come together, and live a short fairy tale existence in the protective "bubble" of Tel Aviv. Their relationship is complicated by the Middle East tensions that we, in the U.S., have only a cursory knowledge of. Normal couples, in the early stages of their relationships, will struggle with who will call who next, , doubts of sincerity, or who will say "I love you" first. Noam and Ashwar's early love is complicated by suicide bombings, armed security check points, racism, and thousands of years of cultural hatred. While Noam's friends in Tel Aviv accept, and like, Ashwar, who is an Arab, it is clear that most of Tel Aviv's other citizenry don't. Ashwar adopts a Hebrew name, lives as Noam's boyfriend in secret, and works "under the table" at the "friend of a friend's" restaurant.

One of the most touching moments in this film, and there are many, is when Noam and Ashwar attend a production of the play "Bent". We, as movie goers, see them watching this play, and the affect it has on the two of them is profoundly captured in their eyes. They watch two concentration camp prisoners, in the play, expressing their love for one another. Noam and Ashwar are prisoners too and the parallels are inescapable. This touching moment is ultimately played out in a very sad way later in the movie.

Just as in the Shakespeare classic, the resentments, bodies, and vengeance pile to a crippling height. Without giving away too much of the storyline, one of the men is blackmailed into a collection of choices with no good outcome possible. Behind door number one - marry his brother in-law's sister - at the threat of being exposed as being gay and a social outcast to his family and community. Behind door number two, go back to his boyfriend in Tel Aviv, and a community that will never accept him, and that routinely abuses and discriminates against his people. It doesn't matter how much the one you love, loves you, when the world he live in hates you. And then there's door number three. With this choice he can become a hero instead of an outcast to his father, minimize the retaliation meant to avenge is sister's murder, and make sure that the fatalities are limited to just one. Or so he believes.

Ohad Knoller and Youseff 'Joe' Sweid are outstanding as Noam and Ashwar. Director Eytan Fox is brilliant in creating an interesting and compelling retelling of the greatest romantic tragedy. The romance, sexuality, and sensuality are intense and passionate. It is so refreshing to see this kind of depth and honesty attributed to a gay couple. Ivri Lider renders a music score with the perfect touch of conventional romanticism that says, "love is universal". The most powerful force in this film, however, is the performance by Youseff "Joe" Sweid. He roils in the passions of his heart, the thousands of years of cultural hatred, and the calm place in his soul where his love for Noam rests. Sweid, through Ashwar, shows what it's like to have your heart and your life in complete contradiction with one another. He shows what it's like to find peace for the first time and then discover that peace is a lonely place for some. He is the ultimate outcast in an unforgiving, and undeserving, world.

This is a very good film. It has heart, and heartbreak. And like all good love stories, love does win out. But not with the intact glory of it's full bloom. Everlasting love is too complicated for that. Still, though, they will be together forever.

Unimaginably Tragic

[Dr_Coulardeau · 10/10 · 8 August 2007]

This film is a complete re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet in Tel Aviv and Nablus. The lovers are one from Tel Aviv et the other from Nablus. There is a border between them, and a constant state of war with the Israeli army ever present everywhere and the Palestinian militants everywhere else with their bombs. The situation is bleak enough. We can imagine love in that enormous loveless trap. But the film goes several light years further by imagining the two lovers are gay, Noam from Tel Aviv and Ashraf from Nablus. To be gay is accepted in Tel Aviv. It is off limits in Nablus. The conflict between the two peoples, the two communities is thus doubled with a conflict between two cultures, two ethics. But this could even be livable if the war did not bring some extra dimension. Ashraf's sister is going to get married to a militant activist in Nablus. Ashraf finally tells his sister about his being gay. She cannot accept it but accepts to speak about it later. From the wedding itself the newly married husband sends a commando into Tel Aviv to set up a bomb attack. It takes place in a café in Tel Aviv and one friend of Noam's is severely wounded. Bad enough. The Isareli army sends a commando to Nablus to arrest the person responsible for this attack, but it turns sour and the newly married wife is shot dead in the street. The funeral follows the wedding. The husband and widower volunteers for a suicide bomb attack. Ashraf volunteers to take his place. The exiled lover comes back to Tel Aviv to die and kill a few people to avenge his sister. He arrives at a diner managed by some friends of Noam's. But Noam sees him and gets out to speak to him. Ashraf has moved back to the middle of the street and he detonates his bomb when Noam reaches him in the street. The vengeance reunites the two lovers in death. We thus have the dual conflict but we do not have the Prince of Verona, a neutral character that can impose peace, or even worse the Prince seems to have chosen sides and to be on the side of Israel. The game is entirely false and death is sure on both sides. But the dimension of impossible love is all the stronger because it is redoubled by a play in the film, a play that shows love in Auschwitz, between two prisoners, one wearing a yellow star and the other a pink triangle. This is both strikingly strong and breathtakingly shocking: gay love in Auschwitz. What comes out of the film is that over there in Tel Aviv or Nablus love is impossible. The film is thus a denunciation of the conflict in Palestine that cannot but continue though it has no reason to even exist though it has thousands of reasons to go on. We should never have let Great Britain deal with the region a long time ago. Today we have to find a solution in which no one will be humiliated. This will only be able to succeed if everyone comes together in order to find a lasting solution. But so far everyone is trying to avoid that general confrontation and discussion preferring bilateral manipulations. So suffering will go on and love will be forbidden, of course not sex since children are needed for the war to go on: so let's procreate more and more little soldiers. But love is just an extra-terrestrial concept.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine & University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne

a compelling epic Middle East romantic tragedy

[jvframe · 10/10 · 6 May 2008]

Directed and co-written by Eytan Fox the writer/director of the highly acclaimed 2002 mini feature "Yossi & Jagger" (2002). This comparative epic, at 1hr 53 minutes, is another fine romantic drama in which we must deal with tragedy as well as celebrate the beauty and joy in life. Westerners, especially urban gay men like myself, need to be moved outside our safety zone and be informed of the real life and death struggle elsewhere to be able to love with equity.

While "Yossi & Jagger" focused on a pair of gay lovers in the closeted confines of Israeli military service, "Ha Buah" is centred on a group of civilian friends, both straight and gay, who share a unit in the heart of Israel's generally gay-tolerant, but not always gay-friendly, capital Tel Aviv.

"Ha Buah" opens with a dramatic border check point scene in which Noam (Ohad Knoller – Yossi from "Yossi & Jagger") first meets handsome young Arab Ashraf (Yousef Sweid). Romance soon blooms – but in that political climate opportunities would have to be seized quickly or lost altogether.

From there we follow an intricate interplay among the members and lovers of the housemates and the unavoidable effect of Ashraf's very conservative family. If you follow this film's dialogue attentively enough then you will have no reason to be disappointed with the ending.

The soundtrack for "Ha Buah" is vibrant and the visuals are both beautiful and stark – i.e. real life in the Middle East.

The English subtitles are very easy to follow and you quickly relax and appreciate world cinema at its best.

Utter tripe

[Violet_Loves_Iliona · 1/10 · 4 February 2008]

Eytan Fox, whilst generally leaning on the apologist side of Israeli politics, has made several quite interesting films in the past such as "Walk on Water" and the simply wonderful film, "Yossi & Jagger". In "The Bubble", however, he has taken this illogical and unfair approach to the extreme.

Far from giving this film a standing ovation, the people at the screening I attended quietly got up and left. I also quietly left, fuming with anger at such a ridiculously one-sided film that translates self-preservation as racist bullying, and racist bullying (and terrorism) as outbursts of justified anger; which implies that Arabs are so wronged by the evil Israelis that they react in anger to a constant stream of one-sided Israeli aggression against them, and that they, therefore, should not be held responsible for their actions.

This film wasn't worth the money I paid for the ticket (indeed, I considered demanding my money back), and was basically an Israeli apeing of the Palestinian film "Paradise Now". If you want to be an anti-Israeli, then by all means watch this film, as it really justifies just such a belief system. The fact that this film was made by an Israeli director and, even worse, such a talented Israeli director, is a crying shame. Indeed, just how Israel can be surprised to be regarded as a pariah State when Israelis themselves make such anti-Israel propaganda, beggars belief.

What a shameful, horrid little film!

intelligent, moving, romantic melodrama

[jim-314 · 9/10 · 25 March 2008]

Here's one more beauty in the string of beautiful films directed by Eytan Fox. The movie presents the story of star-crossed lovers (one Israeli, one Palestinian)in modern Tel Aviv. The film's effectiveness comes not only from its depiction of cross-ethnic conflict, but of conflicts personal and political within ethnic groups as well. For example, there's a telling moment when one of the secondary characters, openly gay, is visited in the hospital by his boyfriend who brings him flowers and tries to kiss him in front of his visiting family, and suddenly we see a wave of awkward discomfort wash through the room. Clearly the young man is not as open as he seems, and the family not as accepting as he might want them to be, while the boyfriend is confused and rejected. A good deal of complexity is packed into a fleeting moment. As we know from Yossi & Jagger, Fox is a master at efficiently packing emotional and psychological complexity into brief sequences. The film is also effective for the even-handed way it presents the mutual brutalities that Israelies and Palestinians inflict on each other. If you're not heartless, you'll cry through the last third of the movie. Though the plot is melodramatic, it's so intelligently written and acted that it reminds us of how satisfying good melodrama can be.

We all live in a bubble

[lastliberal · 9/10 · 21 May 2008]

This is the second Eytan Fox film I have seen. The fantastic actor, Lior Ashkenazi, who starred in Walk on Water, has a minor role in this film also.

But the real stars are the young Israelis who live together in a tiny apartment - Noam (Ohad Knoller), Lulu (Daniela Virtzer), and Yelli (Alon Friedman); and the Palestinian that joins them off and on - Ashraf (Yousef 'Joe' Sweid). There is sort of a Friends/Sex in the City thing going on (mostly gay), and they all just want the war to end so they can go on with their lives in peace.

But, that's the rub. No matter how many posters you put up or how many raves for peace you have, the war is not going to end. Many have tried over the years to bring the two sides to the table, but they just want to keep it going for whatever reason. There are many on the Israeli side, both there and here in the US, who just want it all and will not consider peace. There are many on the Palestinian side who apparently would be out of a job should peace ever come. It is in no one's interest to end this war, and the children suffer.

This is always on your mind as you watch this funny and engaging film. It won't go away. You know something tragic is going to happen and, of course, it does. With the feelings on both sides running strong, and revenge as the motivator, tragedy always happens, and that is what makes this an adult version of Friends/Sex in the City. There is no superficiality. It is real life, and it was a beautiful thing to see.

A Story from the Other Side

[aloul-522-235301 · 10/10 · 16 November 2013]

As an Arab, I was really hesitant to watch the movie. Us Jordanians were the second most affect nation of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict due to historical, geographical, and social reasons. After reading so much about the movie, I decided to put my feelings aside, and eventually pressed the play button...

I had deep conflicted feelings when the movie ended.. I cried at the tragic end, screamed at the screen "don't do it, you fool!" But the movie is over, and I'm still reeling over it to this second..

I'm not gonna talk about the sexuality aspect of the movie, as it is a huge issue for Arabs in general, and Muslims in specific, but I don't believe that was the main idea behind "The Bubble".. The movie tackled the issue of coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, that many of the people living on the west side of the borders are trying to achieve.. A certain group of young people from both sides are starting to admit that the conflict will not be ending anytime soon, and that hatred and violence will only bring on more hatred and violence, which was the ultimate point to be made at the end of the movie..

As a Muslim, I have to say that I do not in any way accept the methods of Jihadi extremists.. Death is not the answer.. Death only brings more death, and we saw that as the first piece of domino fell, leading to the tragic death of Ashraf and Noam..

It was obvious that the two lovers were facing hard times putting their feelings aside regarding the politics of the country, which was clearly shown after the first bombing took place and Yali lost his ability to walk, causing Noam to stop answering Ashraf's calls.. Then Ashraf's sister was killed "by accident", causing him to stop answering Noam.. The pieces fell one after another until Ashraf decided to make that stupid decision to take his brother-in-law's place in a martyr/suicide mission, leading to his, and Noam's death..

Personally, I think Ashraf only took on this mission because it felt like his only way out.. He didn't do it for political nor religious reasons.. It was merely done because of the depression he felt himself sinking into.. But when he saw Noam towards the end, it was a wakeup call, and he walked away.. He still wanted to press the button because he saw it in Noam's eyes that his lover had realized what he was about to do, and maybe he couldn't take that either... Noam, on the other hand, didn't care.. He knew what was coming, but he still walked out of the shop, and stood so close to Ashraf, as if he didn't want him to go through it alone, ultimately saying that the violence both sides keep causing kills everything, even love..

Delicate

[aFrenchparadox · 10/10 · 22 September 2010]

It's fresh and pessimist in the meantime. Fresh for the hope this people have in peace. Fresh for their lifestyle denying the fear of the conflict any power on their life. Fresh in the sense it often makes you smile. Fresh because some people can stand up to avoid more sorrow to others. Pessimist because you will be reminded you that the conflict is blind, and doesn't select its victims. Pessimist because one person is not enough to change the situation. So if you need films to make you feel good, avoid. But if you like to come out of a film with a taste of bittersweet and some material for thinking, this film is totally for you.

A very complex very two-faced piece of propaganda

[canadamelody · 4/10 · 7 September 2010]

This film is one of the most perplexing pieces of propaganda ever made. This film despite many of its characters is a pro-occupation film from an ultra liberal hedonist Tel Aviv centric viewpoint. Part of the propaganda designed to paint Israel as a legitimate democracy albeit one with some problems. The latter is not admitted in most of the output of said campaign. This is wear this film succeeds and exceeds beyond all others. We love the characters, I loved the characters it is hard not to. We stand with them in the face of nastier bigoted Israelis. We root for them and we believe we are also rooting for the film and its purpose. Only the film does not reveal its purpose its true vile and disgusting message until the end. A message that is designed manipulate the audience onto the side of the Apartheid bigots.

This film came out in 2005/2006 cycle.

There were NO suicide bombings in Tel Aviv in 2003 There were NO suicide bombings in Tel Aviv in 2004 There were NO suicide bombings in Tel Aviv in 2005 There were NO suicide bombings in Tel Aviv in 2006 There were NO suicide bombings in Tel Aviv in 2007 There were NO suicide bombings in Tel Aviv in 2008 There were NO suicide bombings in Tel Aviv in 2009 There were NO suicide bombings in Tel Aviv in 2010.

The idea that a sensitive and enlightened educated young Palestinian secular gay man would turn suicide bomber on a dime is total bull and a disgusting piece of bigotry.

Explosive!

[akira-hideyo · 10/10 · 2 August 2021]

Movie was da bomb. Blew me away with how they wove the profound intricacies of the war with the fragility of taboo love between 2 conflicting enemies of religious and cultural politics. It hit both the highs and lows of experiencing fleeting moments of freedom through love and the harsh return to restraint when reality resumed. The delicate and perilous emotional navigation of constant consummation and separation between the two protagonists provided the necessary tension to drive this movie to its ultimate explosive finality. Priceless piece of art made reality raw for viewers to never ever forget that all prolonged conflicts arising from unnatural dogmas of blind faith, in spite of the best intentions, even love, will inevitably lead to only one inescapable consequence.

A reality trip into the minds of Tel Aviv's residents

[Coralknight · 8/10 · 25 November 2016]

More poignant now than ever, Bubble gives the viewers a glimpse into the realities of residents of Israel's cultural, business and de facto capital, Tel Aviv. Away (supposedly) from the religious extremism of Jerusalem and other parts of Israel, Tel Aviv is home to a very visible young, counter-culture/hippster community that sees the current conflict as something that can be overcome with solidarity and commonality from both sides. In the case of the main characters, when a Palestinian, Ashraf is inserted into their clique through his relationship with Noah, he is immediately welcomed and helped by the rest of the group, becoming a poster-child for how and why Israelis should be reaching out (even begrudgingly...lest they be seen as hypocrites to their cause). But through several events, we see how disconnected this circle of friends and their ultra-liberal, partying lifestyle has become from people who live just across the border in the occupied territories (i.e. Ramala). While I found the Israeli characters to be believable, I simply did not find the conclusion of Ashraf's character to be...in fact I found it very cliché. As a Palestinian who was a) gay b) not religious c) not political d) had an affinity for Israeli life to the point where he did not speak Hebrew with an Arab accent, I simply did not believe the death of his sister would provoke him to become a suicide bomber...this was my major concern with the film. Meaning, Bubble's message is essentially (like most Israeli films) that behind every Palestinian, regardless of how sympathetic, is a suicide bomber waiting to happen. Good premise...bad execution. Still...high marks for originality for its time.

Warning! Downer!

[donwc1996 · 10/10 · 17 September 2014]

This film is brilliant as are all of this director's movies, but beware, it is a downer and the poster art in no way prepares you for the fact that this is an anti-war movie and if you know what that means then you understand this film will tear your heart out and that's just what it does. I was in shock at the ending because in no way was I prepared for what was to happen and even when it did happen I sat there thinking is this for real, did this really happen or has the film suddenly taken a surreal turn that has me completely confused? But, alas, no, the ending comes like a thud, a slug in the gut and I came away from the film like a walking Zombie, alive perhaps, but utterly without feeling or emotion.

Favorite

[thebeachlife · 10/10 · 11 January 2020]

One of my favorites.

Funny and sad. Full of hopes and pointblank realistic at the same time. Reflects the times, the places and the cultures very genuinely.

A very human film. A must if you want to familiarize yourself with what is/was happening in the Middle Eastern young heads and hearts.