''Yossi & Jagger'' ( he, יוסי וג'אגר, Yossi VeJagger) is a 2002

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i 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. The film has a sequel entitled '' Yossi'' ( he, הסיפור של יוסי ''Yossi's Story'') released in 2012 that picks up the story a number of years after the events in the first film.

Plot

Yossi ( Ohad Knoller) commands a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

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 Yehuda Levi ( he, יהודה לוי; born June 29, 1979) is an Israeli actor and model. His breakthrough role was in the TV series ''Lechayey Ha'ahava'' (''Here's To Love'', 2001). Early life Levi was born in Petah Tikva, Israel. His father Y ...

), 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 Aya Steinovitz-Koren ( he, איה שטיינוביץ-קורן, often known as simply Aya Koren (Hebrew: איה קורן) (born 27 October 1979) is an Israeli actress and model. She acted in television and film in the early 2000s before becoming a ...

, credited as Aya Steinovitz), is very interested in Jagger, while she refuses the sexual advances of Ofir (

Asi Cohen Assi Cohen ( he, אסי כהן; born October 10, 1974) is an Israeli comedian and actor. He is best known for his appearances in the feature film '' Colombian Love'' (alongside Mili Avital), as well as for television performances in ''Love Hurts' ...

), 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 Rita may refer to: People * Rita (given name) * Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984) * Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962) * Rita (Japanese singer) * Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita Places * Djarrit, also known as Rita, a ...

. The song was also sung by Ivri Lider.

Cast

* Ohad Knoller as Yossi *

as Lior Amichai 'Jagger' *

Assi Cohen Assi Cohen ( he, אסי כהן; born October 10, 1974) is an Israeli comedian and actor. He is best known for his appearances in the feature film '' Colombian Love'' (alongside Mili Avital), as well as for television performances in ''Love Hurts'' ...

as Ophir * Aya Steinovitz as Yaeli *

Hani Furstenberg Hani Furstenberg ( he, חני פירסטנברג; born September 14) is an Israeli, American actress and singer, perhaps best known in Israel for her work in the films ''Yossi & Jagger'' and ''Campfire,'' and internationally for her role in '' The ...

as Goldie * Sharon Raginiano as The Colonel *

Yuval Semo Yuval Semo ( he, יובל סמו; born 20 June 1969) is an Israeli actor and comedian. He became well known for his roles in the popular Israeli TV show, ''Eretz Nehederet'' and later for '' Zanzouri'' and '' Hashoter Hatov'' (''The Good Cop''). ...

as Psycho * Yaniv Moyal as Samoncha * Hanan Savyon as Adams * Erez Kahana as Yaniv the Cook * Shmulik Bernheimer as Shmuel 'Shmulik' Amichai * Yael Pearl as Varda Amichai

Production

Although ''Yossi & Jagger'' originally didn't receive any support from the Israeli military during its production, its popularity proved high enough with Israeli citizens that military bases in the country began to show screenings later on.

Reception

The film received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 88% out of 42 professional critics gave the film a positive review, with the site's consensus being "A tersely told yet deeply felt romance." At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 70, based on 19 reviews. Stephen Holden from '' The New York Times'' "If the situation has all the ingredients of a shrill, tearful melodrama, the filmmaker, working from a taut screenplay by Avner Bernheimer that doesn’t waste a word or a gesture, keeps the emotional lid firmly in place." Ella Taylor from ''

L.A. Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'' wrote "Enlivened by journalist Avner Bernheimer’s delicately witty script and some lively ensemble performances under the direction of Eytan Fox, the film offers a haunting portrait of a generation forced to risk their lives in the service of military goals they’re far from totally committed to." Wesley Morris from the '' Boston Globe'' wrote "What the movie lacks in ambition, originality, and grit, it makes up for in pure feeling." Actor Ohad Knoller won the award for best actor at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival, for his portrayal of Yossi. The film did not receive production assistance from the

Israeli army The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branc ...

but proved to be popular in Israel and was later shown on military bases.

References

External links