Eyes Wide Open [Einayim Pekukhoth] **** (2009, Zohar Strauss, Ran Khalil Danker, Tinkerbell) – Classic Movie Review 13,442

The 2009 film Eyes Wide Open [Einayim Pekukhoth] stars Zohar Strauss as a married Jerusalem butcher and Orthodox Jewish father of four who falls in love with his handsome young new male apprentice (Ran Danker).

Debut director Haim Tabakman’s 2009 film Eyes Wide Open [Einayim Pekukhoth] is a beautiful, totally moving 2009 Israeli gay-themed film, with very good performances, and nicely scripted in a story and screenplay by the Israeli script-writer Merav Doster.

Zohar Strauss stars as Aaron, a married Orthodox Jewish father of four living in Jerusalem, who takes over his family’s butcher shop after the death of his father. Ran Khalil Danker plays Ezri, a handsome, 22-year-old homeless Yeshiva student from Safed who has just arrived in Jerusalem and fatefully enters the shop to ask to use the phone.

Later, Aaron offers Ezri space to stay at the shop and takes him on as an apprentice, encouraging his religious studies. Eventually Aaron is consumed with lust for Ezri, and the two kiss and begin a sexual relationship. But Aaron is torn between his wife Rivka (Tinkerbell) and children, his devotion to God, and his intense feelings for Ezri. Aaron is confronted by Rabbi Vaisben (Tzahi Grad), but says he finally feels alive only now, and is ostracised by the Orthodox community, while Ezri is attacked by some locals and Aaron fails to intervene.

Eyes Wide Open [Einayim Pekukhoth] is emotionally and spiritually intense, and beautifully done, with powerful performances, especially by Zohar Strauss and Ran Khalil Danker, some tender moments, some harsh moments, and a good, intelligent workout of important themes. As a piece of work, it is satisfyingly compact, economical and efficient, but most of all it is the subtle way it explores the source and nature and development of feelings that is so involving here.

The film was released in the UK on May 14, 2009 by Peccadillo Pictures.

The film is co-produced in Israel, France and Germany.

The cast

The cast are Zohar Strauss as Aaron Fleischman, Ran Danker as Ezri, Ravit Rozen [Tinkerbell] as Rivka Fleischman, Tzahi Grad as Rabbi Vaisben, Avi Grayinik as Israel Fisher, Eva Zrihen-Attali as Sara, and Mati Atlas as Ephraim.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,442

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