| Yossi & Jagger | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Eytan Fox |
| Produced by | Amir Harel Gal Uchovsky |
| Written by | Avner Bernheimer |
| Starring | Ohad Knoller Yehuda Levi Assi Cohen Aya Koren |
| Music by | Ivri Lider |
| Cinematography | Yaron Scharf |
| Editing by | Yosef Grunfeld |
| Distributed by | Strand Releasing |
| Release date(s) | August 1, 2002 February 10, 2003 April 6, 2003 May 18, 2003 July 8, 2005 |
| Running time | 67 minutes |
| Country | Israel |
| Language | Hebrew |
| Box office | $267,005[1] |
Yossi & Jagger (Hebrew: יוסי וג'אגר) is a 2002 Israeli romantic drama film directed by Eytan Fox about soldiers at the Israel – Lebanon border who try to find some peace and solace from the daily routine of war.
Contents |
Yossi (Ohad Knoller) commands a company of soldiers in the snow-covered mountains near Lebanon. In secrecy, he leads a passionate romantic relationship with his second-in-command officer, Lior (Yehuda Levi), who is called Jagger by everyone for his rock star-like handsomeness and his lip-syncing Mick Jagger. The pair, Yossi and Jagger, lead a loving, yet secret life together, venturing off to be alone and open with one another.
One day, a colonel (Sharon Raginiano) arrives at the base with two female soldiers, one of whom he immediately sleeps with in the bunker. The other one, Yaeli (Aya Koren, credited as Aya Steinovitz), is very interested in Jagger, while she refuses the sexual advances of Ofir (Assi Cohen), who tries to make clear to her that Jagger is not particularly interested in her.
The colonel is there to supervise a night-time ambush, of which Yossi is resentful because of the full moon, and also because he fears for his soldiers' safety. And indeed Jagger is fatally injured that night, dying in the arms of his lover, who only now is able to articulate his love for him.
At the funeral reception at Jagger's parents' house, Jagger's mother mistakes Yaeli for his girlfriend. She laments that she knew very little about her son, including his favorite song, which only Yossi is able to tell her was "Bo" sung by Rita. The song was also sung by Ivri Lider.
The film did not receive production assistance from the Israeli army but proved to be popular in Israel and got showings on military bases later.[2]
The film ranking website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 90% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based upon a sample of 40.[3] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 71, based on 20 reviews. [4]
Actor Ohad Knoller won the award for best actor at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival, for his portrayal of Yossi.[5]