Eyes Wide Open is Haim Tabakman‘s first film, starring Zohar Strauss, Ran Danker and Tinkerbell.

Plot:
The Orthodox Jewish quarter in Jerusalem: Aaron’s (Zohar Strauss) father just died and he takes over the family butcher shop. Shortly afterwards he meets Ezri (Ran Danker), a student looking for a place to stay, and gives him a job. But despite Aaron’s family and his well-recognised position in the religious community, he and Ezri grow closer and closer together.

Eyes Wide Open is a wonderful and touching movie in a setting we don’t usually get to see. It’s beautifully shot, well acted and stays with you for quite some time.

I find myself thinking a lot about this film. Stills from it keep flashing before my eyes. Not only was the cinematography wonderful (and the men hot) but the whole movie had a special kind of haunting quality to it and just won’t let go of me (and vice versa).

The movie centers on Aaron and his struggles. He’s a complex, layered character (beautifully acted by Zohar Strauss, who deserves all kinds of prizes) who is worth examinig so close. But also Ezri and Aaron’s wife Rivka (Tinkerbell) are great characters. Though they get less attention in the film, they don’t lack complexities either.

While we get to know Aaron and his relationship with Ezri, Tabakman manages to convey many things about orthodox judaism with apparent ease. You actually feel smarter after having seen this film (or at least more knowledgeable). Also, Tabakman and writer Merav Doster manage to achieve a perfect balance between neither condemning orthodox judaism nor homosexuality, but soberly showing where they just won’t fit together.

The whole film shows a strong restraint. There are a lot of passages with little to no dialogue and generally the shots are rather long. But instead of this making the movie boring, it manages to rake up the tension and the intensity of the film and it works perfectly.

Summarising: Absolutely recommended!