Yossi

The film centres around a gay man in his mid-thirties who works as a cardiologist in Tel Aviv, Israel. Still grieving his lover killed years ago, he lives a repressed and lonely life until things change in the film's second half.

This is a very compassionate film. It is occasionally satirical including a great scene that exposes the superficiality of the online dating scene. In the lead role, Ohad Knoller expresses the loneliness with much subtlety. He's quite likeable.

The film could have prolonged a passionate scene near the end. It also misses an opportunity to explore the apparent bi-curiousity of one of Yossi's colleagues. Still, it is fine entertainment. Points must be given for the avoidance of typical plotline cliches around gay characters.

I normally don't watch sequels when I haven't seen the original but in the case of "Yossi" I thought I would make an exception. It's a sequel to "Yossi and Jagger" and it takes up the story of Yossi, an Israeli doctor, after the death of his lover, Jagger, who was killed when they were soldiers in the Lebanon. Other than providing some kind of happy ending for Yossi this time round this seems to me a somewhat pointless film despite being very well written, directed and acted. As gay 'romances' go it's certainly up-front and honest and hardly sentimental but the 10 year gap between the two films gives this the feeling of an afterthought. Nevertheless, it's still a welcome addition to LGBT cinema if only for treating both its characters and its audience with some degree of intelligence.

Yossi is a sequel to but not a continuation of Yossi & Jagger, and I don't care that this movie doesn't carry that romance to new heights of ecstasy. This is a story of what happens to Yossi later in life; the fact that ten years later Jagger isn't still an integral part of it is both normal and fine with me.

What does offend me greatly is the way Yossi is presented as if his being over 30 and slightly heavier than an anorexic fashion model makes him gross and repellent, incredibly lucky if any man even slightly younger or thinner looks at him without vomiting or at least sneering. Obesity is far too extreme a term, and even overweight is unreasonable. Yossi is a normal size, and he is by far the sexiest man in this movie. It's any other man who's lucky to get him, not the other way around.

The movie's second great offense is Lior Ashkenazi, as Yossi's pseudo-friend and fellow cardiologist Moti. Somebody in addition to Ashkenazi himself evidently finds him overwhelmingly attractive, but not me. I can't stand him. The most disgusting, most infuriating movie scene I've seen in years has him bringing a girl into the bar toilet where Yossi is peeing and trying to work up a sleazy threesome even though Yossi clearly isn't interested.

I know Moti is supposed to be disgusting, as are several others in this movie; but I already know that most people - especially straight men (and, unfortunately, most young gay men, like a smug, insufferable jerk Yossi meets online, and even the supposedly hot but arrogant and ugly soldier Tom who forces himself on Yossi near the end) - are disgusting, and having offensive behavior rubbed in my face doesn't entertain me.

I love Ohad Knoller, and the older and beefier he gets the sexier he gets, but he's wasted in this sadly and annoyingly shallow movie. Eytan Fox laid an egg this time.

Set in contemporary Israel, YOSSI follows the life of the eponymous hero (Ohad Knoller), a heart surgeon who spends most of his life at work to try to compensate for a non-existent social life. Having lost his lover in combat, Yossi spends his few leisure hours watching porno films on a computer, trying and failing to find dates, and making a pilgrimage to Varda's (Orly Silbersatz's) house - Varda being the mother of his deceased lover. Eytan Fox's film is a stark depiction of loneliness - there is little or no music, and the camera scarcely departs from Yossi's face as he looks at his shapeless figure and wonders whether he will be able to escape the trauma of his loss. However the film takes an optimistic turn as Yossi travels to a resort, and on the way meets up with a group of soldiers. One of them, Tom (Oz Zehavi) takes a fancy to him - even though it takes a long time for Yossi to shed his inhibitions and respond in kind. In a consciously vulgar seaside resort, full of manufactured entertainment and artificial swimming-pools, the two of them spend the night together and subsequently take a life-changing decision. Fox's film offers hope for anyone trying to cope with the pain of losing a loved one.

OK, so here we go. Cynics amongst us may find it all a little too predictable. The concept is not original and certainly we're going to see allot more of this "ethos" in a move if you like - HOWEVER, the director has brilliantly kept the overall footage quite raw when you think of it and this does create a sense of realism to the movie.

Yossi and Jagger was a valiant attempt and it caught, I think, the emotions of many gay men who don't necessarily identify with wider gay culture. It spoke to the "man" in us if you will.

Yossi struck all the right notes. You felt his pain, his loneliness and you cheered on his ultimate revival - however, it's not a given. Not in anyway shape or form and how it happens is not predictable in the least. Outstanding positioning and an honest, thoughtful script lead to a most enjoyable movie experience.

And even for a cynical old bitch like me, I must say, I very nearly shed a tear...nearly!