Yossi *** (2012, Ohad Knoller, Oz Zehavi, Lior Ashkenazi) – Classic Movie Review 13,260

The likeable and appealing 2012 drama Israeli film Yossi is Eytan Fox’s fifth feature, a sequel to his Yossi & Jagger (2002). Ohad Knoller again stars as Yossi Gutmann, a tubby 34-year-old closeted gay doctor struggling to find meaning in his life.

The likeable and appealing 2012 drama Israeli film Yossi is Eytan Fox’s fifth feature, a sequel to his Yossi & Jagger (2002) unfolding a decade after its story. Ohad Knoller again stars as Yossi Gutmann, a closeted, tubby 34-year-old gay cardiologist doctor struggling to find meaning in his life and overcome feelings of loss of his lover.

Yossi’s quietly settled world starts turning upside down when Varda Amichai (Orly Silbersatz), an older woman connected with his past shows up for treatment at his hospital, and he offers her a lift home. Their reunion eventually causes Yossi to leave Tel Aviv and have an impromptu vacation in the south, seeking to reconcile his past with his future and come alive again. He meets by chance a bunch of four young soldiers at a diner stop, and offers them a lift to their hotel in Eilat when they miss their bus. Yossi plans to go on, but changes his mind, turns back and decides to take a room at the same hotel. One of them, openly gay Tom (Oz Zehavi), a man with winning ways, starts befriending Yossi and flirting.

It’s easy to get swept up in and along with this lovely emotionally charged slow burn. The story is so romantic, and the main actor Ohad Knoller is so good, internally tormented but bursting with pent-up emotion that is bound to erupt. The film has an edge all through, with hurt, pain and melancholy delineated carefully, but it ends up sweet and sentimental. As the film is so believable throughout, it delivers its fairy tale ending with enough credibility, though sceptics may disagree.

Lior Ashkenazi plays fellow doctor Moti Hoffman, who is eager to have a good time to celebrated his divorce and takes Yossi out for drinks, drugs and easy women. It does not go well for Yossi, prompting him to tell an agonised Varda and her husband about his two-year love affair with their son. Both the Varda and the Moti roles are admirably chilly, bringing a harsh wind across the landscape, contrasting nicely with the hero’s internal warmth. Even Nina (Ola Schur Selektar), the nurse infatuated with Yossi, is painted in a cold light. Tom is a bit of a fantasy figure, but he’s a nice fantasy, just right for the feel-good ending.

The cast are Ohad Knoller as Yossi Gutmann, Oz Zehavi as Tom, Orly Silbersatz as Varda Amichai, Lior Ashkenazi as Moti Hoffman, Ola Schur Selektar as Nina, Meir Golan as Nimrod Shlomi Ben Attar as Fefer, Amir Jerassi as Benda, Raffi Tavor as Mr Amichai, Shlomo Sadan as Professor Neuman, and Bobbi Jene Smith as Rachelle.

Screenplay by Itay Segal.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,260

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com