Movie review: Yossi & Jagger
Aug. 21st, 2006 11:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bironicLet's not kid ourselves here. I went to Blockbuster yesterday to comb the foreign films section for gay-themed movies—because in our local store, at least, those shelves are stocked by someone who clearly loves his/her queer cinema—aiming, after a week's worth of House slash, for nothing more than some kissage, fondling, bare skin, etc. It would have been a great night for Priest. (Really need to buy that one of these days.) Ended up choosing Yossi & Jagger, a film about two young soldiers carrying on a love affair in the Israeli army.
Yossi & Jagger (Dir. Eyton Fox, Israel, 2002)
Since we're being honest, let's start with the reason this movie got rented. A few minutes in—just when you're starting to differentiate the faces and personalities of the soldiers, taking a break from patrolling the snowy Israeli-Lebanese border to bury a cache of spoiled meat—unit leader Yossi (Ohad Knoller) announces that he and second-in-command Jagger (Yhuda Levi) are going to check again to make sure a checkpoint is clear. But when they've walked a distance away and crested a hill, we find that it's really an excuse to fool around out of sight of the others.
They tease each other, throw snow and wrestle, Yossi sitting on Jagger (whose actual name is Lior; everyone calls him Jagger after the rock star, presumably because of his flair and appeal) and pinning him by his wrists to the ground, at which point Jagger coyly asks, "Is this rape, sir?" In response, Yossi faux-violently unzips Jagger's bulky snow-suit down his chest only to discover that Jagger isn't wearing anything under it. Startled and, after a moment, amused, Yossi says, "I've put soldiers in jail for less than that." Jagger grins, tugs the zipper down to his groin, and slides Yossi's mittened hand inside. "What can I say?" Jagger asks. "I'm an animal." Thence commences the kissing.
After a few lovely moments, Jagger turns his head and slits his eyes open. He catches sight of something that turns out to be a rabbit. His adorable rabbit faces and noises don't charm Yossi enough to distract him from the fact that something is watching them: our first indication that Yossi isn't as comfortable with his sexuality and/or their relationship as his partner. Unfazed, Jagger tosses a snowball at the animal to scare it off, both boys grin, and they continue their activities as the hand-held camera zooms in on lips and lashes and a single simultaneous swipe of tongues. Fade to gray/scene at base camp.
Sated, the boys lie on their backs for a while, stroking their own stomachs and flirting, then singing outrageously (Jagger) and scoffing at the "diva" music (Yossi), before returning to camp, where a colonel has arrived to announce that the men are to conduct a "hot" ambush that night despite their weariness. The rest of the (short—only 67 minutes) movie follows the soldiers and the two young enlisted women the colonel brought as they prepare for and conduct their mission: a meal, gathering of gear, an impromptu trance dance session in the bunk, drills, and finally the ambush itself when night falls.
Throughout the day and night that comprise most of the rest of the movie, we get a representative sampling of the intimacy and conflicts between Yossi and Jagger. In one scene they communicate across the mess room in quick gestures like a baseball catcher and pitcher; in another, they share an erotic moment eating dessert before Yossi shoves Jagger's hand away because another soldier is approaching; in another, the stern, self-conscious commander and romantic extrovert argue over their future.
** Spoilers in next two paragraphs, but really, seeing as how the movie is so predictable, knowing what happens shouldn't much ruin your enjoyment of it if you ever decide to watch. **
As it happens, the filmmakers chose the latter route; Jagger steps on a buried mine at the ambush site and dies of chest burns before the rescue helicopter arrives. Pressing ointment to the wounds, pleading for him to hold on so they can have their vacation and family dinners despite his earlier hesitation, telling him he loves him right in front of Ofir, attempting mouth-to-mouth when his pulse gives out, and finally kissing him lightly on the lips, Yossi gives Jagger a proper Hollywood ending, if not the one he wished for.
Thankfully, the movie doesn't end there. Instead, it follows everyone to the Amichai home where Jagger's parents are sitting shiva. Yossi and Yaeli are the last two to arrive. It's pretty heartbreaking to watch Yossi stand in his lover's house for the first time and not say a word about his real relationship with the deceased. (I suspect that he might have broken down and told the parents had all the army people not been sitting in the room.) He says nothing when Yaeli says she was in love with Lior and that she was sure Lior was about to return her sentiments, nor when Mrs. Amichai says she knew almost nothing about her son, including the fact that he had a girlfriend, nor when Yaeli lets the implication stand. He doesn't speak up until Mrs. Amichai says she didn't even know her son's favorite song. Under half the room's stares of varying degrees of comprehension, Yossi tells them what it was—the "diva" one Jagger sang earlier, in the snow—and then sings it softly to himself while everyone else continues talking. He picks up a photo album and finds a picture Jagger mentioned in which he's dressed up like a rabbit, making that adorable face, and Yossi startles and almost cries, then puts down the album and watches everyone, letting Yaeli and Mrs. Amichai bond over their imagined intimacy (but real grief), nursing his secret alone. Really understated and powerful.
** End of spoilers. **
I never would have guessed that the tagline of the movie was "Love should never be a secret." It's preachy and cheesy in a way the movie itself mostly avoided. I'm not sure exactly what the movie did accomplish, other than depicting a somewhat unconventional love story in a closed community not often glimpsed by outsiders. The promotional materials claim that the film tackled issues of homosexuality and repression in the Israeli military as well as the tragedy of being in the prime of your youth while trapped in compulsory military service of a kind that risks life and limb, all "without any flag-waving." I suppose that's true, although the predictability of the plot overshadowed the lack of heavy-handed preaching. Still, I wasn't in it for any profound statements or inspiring morals, and was quite satisfied with the high-quality acting and boylove.
Plus, Hebrew can be such a soft, pretty language, and everyone in this movie spoke it so beautifully that it made me wish I knew more than a handful of prayers and passages and the national anthem. Even half the names were pretty: Lior Amichai, Yaeli. Treats for the tongue.
The soundtrack was lovely too. The singer of the title track sounds marvelously like Iarla O'Lionard of Afro Celt Sound System, and the music over the snow-sex scene reminded me of a cross between Christophe Beck and E. S. Posthumous. *pause* These all look horribly obscure and pretentious, don't they. Let's round it out by saying that even the trance music was enjoyable.
I close with these two promotional shots of Knoller and Levi. I think the choice of outfits, poses and expressions is interesting, since the actors spent the entire movie in fatigues and camouflage snowsuits. Presumably the undone tuxes, suggestively-positioned wine glass and beefcakey uniforms were intended to appeal to a particular audience of gay men. Little did they know what sort of person would be picking up the DVD from the store shelf.
ETA: A timely link on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kabale's LJ to a paper on Israel's exploitation of its LGBT community to foster prejudice against Palestinians. The part of the article that addresses the issue of gays in the military seems appropriate to excerpt here:
Yossi & Jagger (Dir. Eyton Fox, Israel, 2002)
Since we're being honest, let's start with the reason this movie got rented. A few minutes in—just when you're starting to differentiate the faces and personalities of the soldiers, taking a break from patrolling the snowy Israeli-Lebanese border to bury a cache of spoiled meat—unit leader Yossi (Ohad Knoller) announces that he and second-in-command Jagger (Yhuda Levi) are going to check again to make sure a checkpoint is clear. But when they've walked a distance away and crested a hill, we find that it's really an excuse to fool around out of sight of the others.
They tease each other, throw snow and wrestle, Yossi sitting on Jagger (whose actual name is Lior; everyone calls him Jagger after the rock star, presumably because of his flair and appeal) and pinning him by his wrists to the ground, at which point Jagger coyly asks, "Is this rape, sir?" In response, Yossi faux-violently unzips Jagger's bulky snow-suit down his chest only to discover that Jagger isn't wearing anything under it. Startled and, after a moment, amused, Yossi says, "I've put soldiers in jail for less than that." Jagger grins, tugs the zipper down to his groin, and slides Yossi's mittened hand inside. "What can I say?" Jagger asks. "I'm an animal." Thence commences the kissing.
After a few lovely moments, Jagger turns his head and slits his eyes open. He catches sight of something that turns out to be a rabbit. His adorable rabbit faces and noises don't charm Yossi enough to distract him from the fact that something is watching them: our first indication that Yossi isn't as comfortable with his sexuality and/or their relationship as his partner. Unfazed, Jagger tosses a snowball at the animal to scare it off, both boys grin, and they continue their activities as the hand-held camera zooms in on lips and lashes and a single simultaneous swipe of tongues. Fade to gray/scene at base camp.
 |  |  | ||
| Yossi (left) and Jagger (right) get naughty in the snow. | Jagger turns his head and notices a rabbit watching them. | The boys after Jagger throws a snowball at the rabbit. |
Sated, the boys lie on their backs for a while, stroking their own stomachs and flirting, then singing outrageously (Jagger) and scoffing at the "diva" music (Yossi), before returning to camp, where a colonel has arrived to announce that the men are to conduct a "hot" ambush that night despite their weariness. The rest of the (short—only 67 minutes) movie follows the soldiers and the two young enlisted women the colonel brought as they prepare for and conduct their mission: a meal, gathering of gear, an impromptu trance dance session in the bunk, drills, and finally the ambush itself when night falls.
Throughout the day and night that comprise most of the rest of the movie, we get a representative sampling of the intimacy and conflicts between Yossi and Jagger. In one scene they communicate across the mess room in quick gestures like a baseball catcher and pitcher; in another, they share an erotic moment eating dessert before Yossi shoves Jagger's hand away because another soldier is approaching; in another, the stern, self-conscious commander and romantic extrovert argue over their future.
Yossi: Why don't you grow up already? What do you want from me? I'm sorry this isn't easy for me. I'm sorry I don't surprise you with some goddamn ring. I'm sorry this isn't some fucking American movie.Once it's established that Yossi and Jagger are (a) happy and (b) in the army, we can expect the movie to go in one of two directions: they will be found out, or one of them will die. Possibly both, if the screenwriter was economical. Despite the fact that it seems to be an open secret among the soldiers that the two of them are in some kind of relationship—everyone knows they're close, and at least one soldier, Ofir, has intuited that they're having sex—the tension is there to support the former supposition, from Yossi's insistence on hiding any sign of affection to the colonel's super-macho attitude to the other men's mildly derogatory jokes about "fags." One of the visiting women, the tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed Yaeli (Aya Koren), who has set her romantic sights on Jagger, pushes the situation toward a crisis point as she pries into his private life in her attempt to find out whether he likes her back, won't acknowledge his hints at disinterestedness, and spurns the lovelorn and increasingly angry Ofir in the process.
Jagger, petulantly: Yes, sir.
** Spoilers in next two paragraphs, but really, seeing as how the movie is so predictable, knowing what happens shouldn't much ruin your enjoyment of it if you ever decide to watch. **
As it happens, the filmmakers chose the latter route; Jagger steps on a buried mine at the ambush site and dies of chest burns before the rescue helicopter arrives. Pressing ointment to the wounds, pleading for him to hold on so they can have their vacation and family dinners despite his earlier hesitation, telling him he loves him right in front of Ofir, attempting mouth-to-mouth when his pulse gives out, and finally kissing him lightly on the lips, Yossi gives Jagger a proper Hollywood ending, if not the one he wished for.
Thankfully, the movie doesn't end there. Instead, it follows everyone to the Amichai home where Jagger's parents are sitting shiva. Yossi and Yaeli are the last two to arrive. It's pretty heartbreaking to watch Yossi stand in his lover's house for the first time and not say a word about his real relationship with the deceased. (I suspect that he might have broken down and told the parents had all the army people not been sitting in the room.) He says nothing when Yaeli says she was in love with Lior and that she was sure Lior was about to return her sentiments, nor when Mrs. Amichai says she knew almost nothing about her son, including the fact that he had a girlfriend, nor when Yaeli lets the implication stand. He doesn't speak up until Mrs. Amichai says she didn't even know her son's favorite song. Under half the room's stares of varying degrees of comprehension, Yossi tells them what it was—the "diva" one Jagger sang earlier, in the snow—and then sings it softly to himself while everyone else continues talking. He picks up a photo album and finds a picture Jagger mentioned in which he's dressed up like a rabbit, making that adorable face, and Yossi startles and almost cries, then puts down the album and watches everyone, letting Yaeli and Mrs. Amichai bond over their imagined intimacy (but real grief), nursing his secret alone. Really understated and powerful.
** End of spoilers. **
I never would have guessed that the tagline of the movie was "Love should never be a secret." It's preachy and cheesy in a way the movie itself mostly avoided. I'm not sure exactly what the movie did accomplish, other than depicting a somewhat unconventional love story in a closed community not often glimpsed by outsiders. The promotional materials claim that the film tackled issues of homosexuality and repression in the Israeli military as well as the tragedy of being in the prime of your youth while trapped in compulsory military service of a kind that risks life and limb, all "without any flag-waving." I suppose that's true, although the predictability of the plot overshadowed the lack of heavy-handed preaching. Still, I wasn't in it for any profound statements or inspiring morals, and was quite satisfied with the high-quality acting and boylove.
Plus, Hebrew can be such a soft, pretty language, and everyone in this movie spoke it so beautifully that it made me wish I knew more than a handful of prayers and passages and the national anthem. Even half the names were pretty: Lior Amichai, Yaeli. Treats for the tongue.
The soundtrack was lovely too. The singer of the title track sounds marvelously like Iarla O'Lionard of Afro Celt Sound System, and the music over the snow-sex scene reminded me of a cross between Christophe Beck and E. S. Posthumous. *pause* These all look horribly obscure and pretentious, don't they. Let's round it out by saying that even the trance music was enjoyable.
I close with these two promotional shots of Knoller and Levi. I think the choice of outfits, poses and expressions is interesting, since the actors spent the entire movie in fatigues and camouflage snowsuits. Presumably the undone tuxes, suggestively-positioned wine glass and beefcakey uniforms were intended to appeal to a particular audience of gay men. Little did they know what sort of person would be picking up the DVD from the store shelf.
 |  |
ETA: A timely link on
kabale's LJ to a paper on Israel's exploitation of its LGBT community to foster prejudice against Palestinians. The part of the article that addresses the issue of gays in the military seems appropriate to excerpt here:One [study] states, for example, that "there is no evidence that the long-standing inclusion of homosexuals in the IDF has harmed operational effectiveness, combat readiness, unit cohesion or morale in the Israeli military [16]" while another found "no common adjustment problems relating to these [gay] men’s sexual orientation [17]". But, as one paper notes, while the law has been changed to allow gays and lesbians to serve in the Army, the vast majority still choose to hide their sexual orientation from their fellow combatants, and instead adapt to the masculine and heterosexual norms of the Army [18]. (Blair Kuntz, Znet, 8/13/06)So Yossi and Jagger might have more significance in the face of current events than I gave it credit for.
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Date: Aug. 26th, 2006 01:41 pm (UTC)