Eytan Fox’s new film, ‘The Bubble’, opened in SF on Friday. The film was released last year in Israel and has already made its way to western Europe and was featured in the 2006 Toronto Film Festival.
Having recently watched "Walk on Water" for the second time with Joel (for his book), I was looking forward to seeing ‘The Bubble’ last night. Unlike Joel, I hadn’t read up on the film but I was somewhat aware of the Israeli context for the term "Bubble".
In the words of Eytan Fox:
"The Bubble" is a term used by many Israelis to describe life in the
heart of Tel Aviv. It’s where a large number of all the young people in
Israel arrive after the army to try and have a nice, regular,
twenty-something experience. In order to maintain it, they try to stay
away from politics-as-usual and just concentrate on fun, sex, and plain
old getting by.
The narrative includes four main characters, but is focused on the relationship between Noam, an Israeli, and his boyfriend, Ashraf, a Palestinian. While the conflicted love story is compelling enough on its own, the relationship also serves as a vehicle for describing multiple themes related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The film is not just "queer cinema", nor can it only be appreciated by Israelis, Jews, or Palestinians. The specificity of location and subject matter couldn’t be more central to the film, yet the larger themes are entirely universal.
The cinematography beautifully expresses the stark contrasts between uber-hip Sheinkin street in Tel Aviv and the Occupied Territories. The film also enables the viewer to easily grasp the underlying fantasy of life in a beautiful land without endless wars.
Overall, a breathtaking film. Between ‘The Bubble’ and ‘Walk on Water’, Eytan Fox is clearly becoming a master-storyteller en par with the world’s best.
More:
- ‘The Bubble’ official website
- indieWire Interview: "The Bubble" Director Eytan Fox
- SF Chronicle: Eytan Fox’s ‘The Bubble’: A gay love story in Israel
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