You shouldn't love

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Movie
German title You shouldn't love
Original title Einayim Pkuchot
Country of production Israel
original language Ivrith
Publishing year 2009
length 91 minutes
Rod
Director Chaim Tabakman
script Merav Doster
production Raphael Katz
Michael Eckelt
David C. Barrot
Isabelle Attal
music Nathaniel Mechaly
camera Axel Schneppat
cut Dov stoyer
occupation

You shall not love (Hebrew: עיניים פקוחות, "Einayim Pkuchot", English: "Eyes Wide Open") is an Israeli film about the love of two ultra-orthodox Jewish men in Mea Shearim , an ultra-orthodox district of Jerusalem . The screenplay was written by Merav Doster . The film was released in 2009 and was the first Israeli film by director Chaim Tabakman .

description

Aaron Fleischmann, a married ultra-Orthodox Jew and father of four children, takes over the butcher shop of his late father Menachem Fleischmann (butcherhop Fleischmann). Since Aaron is looking for a worker, 19-year-old gay yeshiva student Ezri introduces himself. He has attended the wisdom of Menachem school, but Aaron refuses him. Ezri spends the night in the synagogue, where Aaron finds him sleeping in the morning when he goes to pray there. Aaron hires the young student. They now spend a lot of time together: they work during the day and study together in the evening; at night he lets Ezri sleep in the storage room above the butcher's shop, where Aaron's father used to sleep. They take the ritual bath together and celebrate the Shabbat together. Little by little, Aaron falls in love with Ezri, initially fighting desperately against his growing emotions - in a first scene in which the two almost kiss, he shrinks back and speaks of "tests" that God would subject people to.

When he finally gives in to his feelings and a sexual relationship develops between them, there are dramatic consequences of Aaron's coming out in his strictly orthodox environment. Aaron ignores the neighbors' rejection: When the young Charedim go to Aaron's shop and ask him to fire Ezri, Aaron closes the shop at short notice and spends time with Ezri. Aaron's wife Rivka stands in front of closed doors when she wants to buy meat from her husband. She becomes suspicious and asks Aaron that evening how business was going; he lies to her and says the business has been busy. So Rivka goes back to business the next day, meets Ezri and spontaneously invites him to dinner with the family. As Aaron continues to ignore the advice of the neighboring Charedim, he is now threatened with boycotting his business; he had to leave the district with his wife and children. The rabbi slaps Aaron after he confesses that he needs Ezri: Before that he was dead, with Ezri he would only begin to live. He couldn't live without Ezri.

Ezri is verbally abused and beaten by young Charedim in the street; although Aaron tries to comfort him and keep him in business, Ezri leaves the neighborhood and with it Aaron. In the last scene, Aaron goes to the ritual bathing place again, strips naked and slowly steps deeper and deeper into the dark water until he is completely submerged. Since he is shown as desperate after Ezri's departure and the film ends abruptly with a black image several seconds after Aaron's submerged in the water, it remains to be seen whether he will kill himself in the process or whether he will appear again.

Difficult conditions when shooting

Director Chaim Tabakman described the problems with filming in the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem as well as the lack of reception on the part of Jewish orthodoxy, which reflected the problems described in the film:

“At the original location, in the Mea Shearim district in Jerusalem, we only shot a day and a half. And that quickly, with as few runs as possible. We were yelled at, stared at, threatened, splashed with water and pelted with stones. The main actors in particular suffered - they wore traditional clothing and the camera was rather small. That they play a role wasn't clear to everyone who passed by. When the film was in theaters in Israel, there was next to no reaction from the religious side. That would have shown that there is an awareness of this problem. However, that is exactly what should not happen because one would admit that there is such a thing: homosexual men. "

reception

  • "A sensitive insight into the Jewish-Orthodox world" ( Le Figaro )
  • The director Chaim Tabakman described the Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem as an analogue for the rest of the world, because the problems of homosexuals coming out are the same everywhere:

“Even if the story in Mea Shearim takes place in a seemingly strange world - it has a lot to do with ours, with my life. You make mistakes, struggle to find the right way. This original power felt by the protagonists Aaron and Ezri is in all of us - it's about how you deal with it. "

  • Lea Hampel, on the other hand, said that coming out was especially difficult within the Jewish orthodoxy shown :

“Your film shows the rigid structures of ultra-orthodox society. Aaron is attacked, Ezri even beaten. Little is known about this society - there are signs in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods of Jerusalem asking tourists not to visit. "

Awards

The actors of the film on the day of its presentation at the Cannes Film Festival, 2009
  • Cannes Festival's official choice Un Certain Regard
  • Toronto Festival's official choice .
  • Best Actor Jerusalem Filmfest ( Best movie and best actor Jerusalem Festival 2009 ).
  • Best film Shalom Europe
  • Best Feature Film Debut, Palm Springs Film Festival
  • Grand Prize at the Ghent Film Festival 2009
  • Honorable Mention, Jerusalem Film Festival

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Director Tabakman: "Many people in these communities lead a double life", May 20, 2010 http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/kino/viele-menschen-in-diesen-gemeinden-fuehren-ein- double life / 1842166.html
  2. ↑ Un Certain Regard, Festival de Cannes 2009
  3. ↑ Eyes Wide Open - trailer with English subs on www.youtube.de