Yossi (2012) Reviews

• A wonderful sequel

  itsvivek4u2012-12-29

  I can't really remember watching a sequel of a gay film before. Either there haven't been one before or I have missed them. When I say sequel, I mean real sequel that takes the story forward and not just series like 'Eating Out'. Yossi takes the story forward from 'Yossi & Jagger', where the protagonist Jagger dies in a tragic military ambush and how Yossi is going on with his life. Its been about 10 years since the incident had happened. Yossi is now a doctor but a very very lonely man. His anxieties are pushing their way into lonely nights with internet porn and growing detachment from his hospital's job. Yossi is still in closet, doesn't like to talk to anyone about being gay. A chance encounter with Jagger's mother at the hospital check up makes him to go to their house to tell Jagger's parents who he really is and what his relationship with Jagger was. Jagger's father is OK but the mother doesn't take it all too well. Being pushed to take a vacation, Yossi takes on a solitary road trip. He ends up picking 4 soldiers as hitchhikers who miss their bus. The groups of 4 is very very fun loving and they taunt him with the name Mozart. One of the guys in the group, Tom is gay and he and the others are very comfortable with it. Tom wants to spend time with Yossi who still prefers to be on his own just reading books but Tom won't leave him alone. Its Tom, who make Yossi come out of his cocoon and he helps Yossi evaluate his problems over a period of time and Tom helps him bring back being comfortable with who he is. From the production values perspective, this film is Eytan Fox's best work to date. Even in terms of story and direction, it is a very accomplished work. As a viewer we really get to experience what Yossi is going through. It has been 10 years since Jagger's death but every single day, Yossi is still suffering thinking whether Jagger heard or not when he said 'I Love You'. Yossi is in denial of his nonexistent social life. Following his daily routine, the audience also sees something very humane and sad. No one would wish something like that for anyone. The inner turmoil that he goes through on whether or not to meet Jagger's parents is also done very very well. He is actually heart-wrenching. The movie then just goes in to a completely different dimension when Yossi goes a road trip. Yossi is always apologetic and ashamed of himself and his body. The young soldier Tom makes him realize that time have changed, Israel has changed and Yossi can be OK with who he is. In fact in a very touching scene when Yossi and Tom are about to get into bed, it is Tom who pushes Yossi to be comfortable with himself and his body and be proud of it. The acting from everyone is impeccable. Casuality driven Yossi, still in closet, carrying on from his military days has been acted really really well. The new guy Tom, does good job and looks cute but he does not have that mischief and innocent pure face and eyes of Jagger. He was something else. A definite watch. I am so glad I decided to watch the prequel first and follow it up with this movie. I was able to connect with it even more and was still very very satisfied.

• An Interesting Story Continued...

  soncoman2013-02-18

  In 2002, director Eytan Fox brought us "Yossi & Jagger, " a film simply described as "a gay love story between two Israeli soldiers." It packed a lot of emotion and feeling in a scant 65 minutes. If you haven't seen that film, please do – and stop reading this review as there are major spoilers to that film contained herein. It's ten years later, and Fox returns with the even more simply titled "Yossi," which continues the story of the aforementioned character. Yossi (Ohad Noller) is out of the military, a practicing physician, and incredibly lonely and unhappy. (Having your lover die in your arms can lead to such a life.) He spends a lot of time at the hospital avoiding the unwanted advances of female colleagues and his time at home trolling chat rooms and hook up sites. He's ten years older, several pounds heavier and still unable to deal with the truth about who he is. The emptiness in Yossi's life is never more evident then in a particularly devastating scene involving a chat room hook up. Forced by his hospital administrator to take some time off, Yossi heads off on a road trip (to Gaza?!) and happens upon a group of soldiers who missed their transport. He offers them a lift to the resort they're headed for, and ends up staying there. There seems to be this one particular soldier… And so it goes. Yossi's reawakening begins. An interesting side note is that "Yossi" also gives us a glimpse of how an openly gay soldier serving his country is treated by fellow soldiers – pretty much how every other soldier is treated. Mind you, gay men and women have been able to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces for over twenty years now and their world hasn't crumbled yet (though it always seems to be on a precipice, for any number of reason.) Coming in at an also compact 84 minutes, "Yossi" is a sweet tale of starting to find one's way back after losing a love - something to which everyone, gay or straight, can probably relate. www.worstshowontheweb.com

• Sharply Observed Romance

  l_rawjalaurence2014-02-07

  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.

• This film will make you feel so good!

  tomhashes2016-08-30

  This film is such a nice sequel to the 2002 "Yossi & Jagger"! The first one had a simple and nice plot, but I had issues with the undergrad-quality cinematography, and despite apparently winning awards, I wasn't very convinced by Ohad Knoller's acting, who played Yossi in the film. This sequel, however, is exactly what I was expecting: great cinematography, a complex but lovable plot, and great acting by Ohad, who really played Yossi well in this film. Although I believe that it's totally fine that you don't watch "Yossi & Jagger" before watching this film, watching it will definitely help you understand a lot more in the film that hasn't been explicitly stated, like why Yossi would become a doctor and why he decides to go on a trip to Sinai (Sinai?!). This film isn't fully focusing on a romantic relationship like the first one did; instead it explores how Yossi lives after the death of Lior, and everyone of us can definitely identify with some of the moments shown in the film: getting off in a dark room at night, having Chinese takeaway at home alone, and watching mindless animal documentaries. Oh, and having hookups with shallow, petty gay men. Ohad Knoller played Yossi really well in the film; display of emotions is almost effortless, and although you can argue that it doesn't take much effort to play a sad, almost-middle-aged gay man, his little smiles and at times teary eyes are proof that Ohad knows how to play a character well. I have so much respect for Ohad after watching this movie. About his weight: yes, the Yossi we see is not the same one we saw in "Yossi & Jagger", but that has helped the movie delivered some of the most precious messages we have ever heard in film history about body positivity in the gay community. This film has a romantic plot, after all. The relationship is lovely, develops at the right pace, and most importantly, is believable. That's why I say this film will make you feel so good. It's so good that I hope it is true, and unfortunately that means we probably won't see a third movie in the making - but never mind because it is such a good wrap-up to a great story already. The review should not end without pointing out how great the soundtrack is - a great selection of songs to accompany the story, and nice lyrics too. Yes, the fact that the film deals mainly with Yossi's inner demons may scare away a lot of potential viewers, but this film is too good to pass up. If you're looking for a slow burning love story, this movie is just for you.

• Slow-burning drama

  euroGary2013-08-20

  Barely one week after watching, for the first time, 2002 Israeli film 'Yossi and Jagger', about a secret love affair between two male soldiers, I was surprised to discover it had spawned a sequel that was showing in London! 'Yossi' is set ten years after 'Yossi and Jagger' and sees the titular character, now out of the military, spending his days as a hospital doctor and his nights trawling websites for casual sex. Closeted, he's rather sad and lonely, until an encounter with a group of young soldiers - one of whom is out, proud and (fortunately for Yossi) a bit of a chubby-chaser - leads him to re-evaluate his life. It's not an original plot, and some of the situations in the first film are reproduced here (in 'Yossi and Jagger', Jagger was the object of a young female soldier's unrequited amorous attentions; here, Yossi finds himself fending off a nurse's attempts to win him), but it's a pleasing enough, slow-burning drama, with believable performances, a good range of characters and an ambiguous ending.