Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

pixelglitterblue With everything going on after the SCOTUS ruling same-sex marriage as legal across the US, I went in search of a good LGBTQ+ movie that I hadn't seen before. When I came across 'Eyes Wide Open', I knew I had to watch it, both because it is an LGBT film and it involves Judaism, of which I am in the process of converting to (albeit a much more liberal branch). This film was full of nuance and poignancy. I know some thought it was too quiet, but I thought that it's use of body language over spoken words to convey the emotions of the characters was powerful, so much so that I opted to watch without subtitles on my second viewing.Maybe this is just my interpretation, but I never got the sense that Aaron and Ezri were in love with one another. Because Aaron was bored with his cookie-cutter life and Ezri was left jilted by his ex person, they both needed solace and escape. They found that in each other as kindred spirits of a sort. They clearly cared for each other, but was it love? I never got that impression. The penultimate scene in this film is, without a doubt, the first kiss shared by Aaron and Ezri. What struck me the most about it was the fact that Aaron seemed so on edge at the beginning of the scene, nervously pacing and fidgeting with his tzitzit. At first I wasn't sure what to make of that, but on my second viewing, it occurred to me: At some point between their meeting on the rooftop and that moment in the cooler, Aaron had made the decision to act on his feelings for Ezri. When that moment came, he was equal parts petrified and ecstatic. By the time these two men kissed, the tension between them exploded and the rest of the scene is so intense with emotion and relief that I found myself holding my breath. That was some damned fine acting.In the end, what I took away from this wonderful and saddening film was that true happiness comes at a major cost, and we must decide whether it's worth the ultimate price. Aaron didn't think so, especially since he had a family who depended on him, whereas Ezri had nobody. However, his relationship with Ezri not only brought him closer to his loving wife in the end, but I believe it also brought him closer with his true self. A+ movie. Would recommend.

laura_macleod Eyes Wide Open is a really depressing film and not because of the sexuality and the suppression but because of the religious and cultural straightjackets that those people live in. I found it fascinating to observe the lack of beauty in the film. Everything was drab and breaking down. Everyone was in black or covered or not seen. They came alive through their religious ideology in a man's world - women were not present in the teaching and the camaraderie. To be a good man meant to work and have no joy, just read the religious dogma. This is surely an advertisement for why this kind of ideology causes conflict as it is not harmonious to life or the purpose of life = to find happiness (as spoken by one of the world's greatest philosophers - Aristotle). The woman was just there to care for the house and the family and to have children and be a sexual vessel to be honest. Then along comes a homosexual element and a man who challenges the sickness in the society and all the hangups. Of course it is very traumatic for any community stuck in the dark ages to have a 'heretic' in their midst, especially a gay one. Eyes Wide Open is a very good title because all the people in this film go around with their eyes firmly shut to life and its beauty and freedom (god given to everyone). Human beings cause all the problems, not god if it exists - how do any of us really know? The feeling of the sexuality is hidden and dirty and done in the midst of a butcher's shop with dead carcasses all around. The metaphor is vivid. However, the film is bleak and there is only way way out for the protagonist and it is a sad conclusion. Just throughout the film I was yearning for them both to break free of the cultural and mental straightjacket that was self inflicted - tear off those black outfits, throw the hats to the wind and get on an aeroplane to somewhere in the world where they both could live what 'god' had made them for - happiness and love. Felt very sorry for the wife though but she was a stuck sheep. There was no way out of this eyes wide open film - the cultural burden was sadly too heavy and that made the film leave a bad taste in the mouth in spite of its breakthrough subject matter.

Saad Khan Einayim Petukhoth - EYES WIDE OPEN – CATCH IT ( B- ) Einayim Petukhoth is my first ever Israeli movie so, I was quite psyched about it. The movie starts off quite strong and I was stunned how strongly the Jew Culture was presented in the entire movie. (To be honest Being a Muslim its kind of made me Guilty). Later on movie got really slow and when Aaron falls for Azri, it was never showed in a lot of words what they actually feel about each other? is it love or just Lust? And why Aaron became so Oblivion that he doesn't care when posters against him were pasted all over the city? Plus he refuses to kick Azri out from his Butcher house too. These things were did put pressure on me as a viewer but somehow till the end I didn't understand what exactly Aaron was thinking? He is the father of four kids for God's Sack. Though the material was controversial but lack of Communication/Feelings between Aaron & Azri was my biggest problem with the movie. So in the end it was just passable for me. Zohar Shtrauss, Ran Danker and Tinkerbell were exceptional in their parts, no two words about that! In my final words watch it for the taboo topic in very strong cultural setting & great performances BUT it's not a master piece.

pik923 Unfortunately, as in many films coming from Israel there are deep flaws in the making of the film. For some reason the Israeli film industry loves to make films focusing on the Orthodox community and setting up a rather bland love affair between two religious men - well it becomes so ordinary and so expected. There is nothing interesting, no drama, no dynamics, no ups and downs. All that talent and it goes nowhere. The acting is poor, and I blame that on the director. I'm not sure what the point of the story is. Forbidden love? Of course it is forbidden but this is not a love story. And in many ways too unrealistic to even give it any weight.I feel bad that with some much talent in Israel, in all aspects of film making so few really good solid films are actually produced. Instead, just because it is about homosexuality and set in the Orthodox community every one gets a bit excited! But it has nothing to do with film making.