The Bubble (2006)

The Bubble (2006). 1h 57m | Unrated

“Directed and co-written by Eytan Fox the writer/director of the highly acclaimed 2002 mini feature u0026quot;Yossi u0026amp; Jaggeru0026quot; (2002). This comparative epic, at 1hr 53 minutes, is another fine romantic drama in which we must deal with tragedy as well as celebrate the beauty and joy in life. Westerners, especially urban gay men like myself, need to be moved outside our safety zone and be informed of the real life and death struggle elsewhere to be able to love with equity.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile u0026quot;Yossi u0026amp; Jaggeru0026quot; focused on a pair of gay lovers in the closeted confines of Israeli military service, u0026quot;Ha Buahu0026quot; is centred on a group of civilian friends, both straight and gay, who share a unit in the heart of Israelu0026#39;s generally gay-tolerant, but not always gay-friendly, capital Tel Aviv.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Ha Buahu0026quot; opens with a dramatic border check point scene in which Noam (Ohad Knoller – Yossi from u0026quot;Yossi u0026amp; Jaggeru0026quot;) first meets handsome young Arab Ashraf (Yousef Sweid). Romance soon blooms – but in that political climate opportunities would have to be seized quickly or lost altogether.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFrom there we follow an intricate interplay among the members and lovers of the housemates and the unavoidable effect of Ashrafu0026#39;s very conservative family. If you follow this filmu0026#39;s dialogue attentively enough then you will have no reason to be disappointed with the ending.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe soundtrack for u0026quot;Ha Buahu0026quot; is vibrant and the visuals are both beautiful and stark – i.e. real life in the Middle East.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe English subtitles are very easy to follow and you quickly relax and appreciate world cinema at its best.”