It's February. Time for Romancefest! I'll watch and write about 28 romantic movies in 28 days, if that's conceivable. I've done it before. I've failed before. Which will it be this year? Let's find out.
I made a list to work off of this year but to be honest I can't remember what resources I used to make this list. The majority of the movies are unavailable via Netflix Watch Instantly this time out, so I'll be making lots of trips ot Movie Madness.
We'll start off with a bang: YOSSI AND JAGGER is a 2002 Israeli film about two men in the Israeli army who are in love with each other: conservative Yossi (Ohad Knoller) and free spirit Jagger (Yehuda Levi).
Right off the bat the movie has a lot going for it thanks to the interesting setting – a remote Israeli army base where men spend their days digging trenches to bury their rotten food and their nights ambushing their enemies.
Directed by Eytan Fox, this flick is super ambitious, with enough characters and plot to easily fill a film twice its length. This is both good and bad – on one hand, there's almost too much going on for the short running time, and on the other it's never boring. You could make the argument the various relationships and intrigue among the soldiers at the base are all hurried and intertwined and confused because of the nature of their existence, and not because of the brief running time of the film or a convoluted screenplay. But, the movie walks a fine line.
Jagger's about to get out of the army and wants to live a life as an open gay man, with Yossi. Yossi wants to stay in the army and keep his homosexuality a secret. Meanwhile, a visiting Colonel (Sharon Raginiano) brings both the news of an impending ambush and a couple of female assistants (Aya Steinovitz and Hani Furstenberg) to stir up the men in the base.
The movie works not only because of its unique setting, but also because of the chemistry between the two leads. They really seem to be in love with each other, especially during an early sequence in which they contrive a reason to go for a walk in the countryside outside the base, and frolic in the snow. It's cheesy and a little embarrassing, but that's because you feel like you're watching the secret interactions of a real couple, which isn't something you see portrayed accurately very often.
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