Sublet

There may not be much happening in the story, but it draws you in very much. There is subtlety in emotions, making it a film to feel.

A Jewish-American travel writer returns to Tel-Aviv for the 1st time as an adult. He is staying for 5 days, intending to write an article about non-tourist Tel-Aviv. He sublets an apartment rather than stay in a hotel, where the occupant, a pansexual, commitment-free university student of film studies, is planning on couch-surfing with friends for the duration. The writer ends up hiring the student to show him his world, while dealing with a disagreement with his husband back home.

There is an interesting view of what actual student life might be like, with glimpses of the cultural viewpoints of young Israelis, especially in contrast with older Americans - e.g. the writer is appalled that young artists are interested in hip Berlin as a career destination. There are also interesting reflections of what others see of you.

Gotta love it when you take a chance on an unknown "quirky little independent film" and it turns out to be a well-written, well-acted piece of work. The story plays out well mainly because the writing is good and the interaction between the two main characters is enjoyable to watch unfold. You think you know where things are going to go...which they don't necessarily do in the way you might expect. It's also fun to watch because of the interesting little details that you might miss if you're not paying attention to (e.g., breakfast habits that someone was apparently lying about!) It's cool to hear the older travel writer's story unfold, and it's certainly enjoyable to watch the younger character simply because he's adorable. Fortunately, he can act, too, and has his own worthwhile story. Finally, the character of the mother adds an entertaining element towards the end. The ending may or may not be what you're expecting going in....I'll just leave it at that. In sum, I was glad that this was yet another "overlooked" little film that turned out to be more worth my time than most Hollywood schlock getting cranked out these days. Give it a look!

Great acting, amazing concept and storyline. It moved me to tears at some moments and it make me burst out loud in others. Such honest portrait of human beings. I'm so glad to have met those characters.

Sublet (2020) was co-written and directed by Eytan Fox.

John Benjamin Hickey plays Michael, a middle-aged travel writer for the New York Times. Michael visits Tel Aviv as part of his work.

He sublets an apartment from Tomer (Niv Nissim). Michael invites Tomer to stay in the apartment, and Tomer becomes his guide to the real Tel Aviv.

Michael is gay. Tomer is young and bisexual. The plot revolves around whether their friendship will turn to intimacy.

I enjoyed this film. The actors are excellent, and I learned more about non-tourist Tel Aviv.

We saw this movie virtually as part of the always outstanding Rochester Jewish Film Festival. The movie has a tepid IMDb rating of 6.9. I thought that it was better than that, and rated it 8.