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Snails In The Rain (Hebrew)

An intense and alluring film, it manages to hold viewers interest till the end. Running with a perfect length of 80 minutes, it never gets boring or over the top. I think this would be a good film for anyone to watch because just replacing the mysterious man writing letters with a woman would make this film probably more accepting but it loses the tension that gets created in this scenario between a straight couple and mystery letters. A dense and captivating drama of how sexuality and love or not being loved affects people.

The story is set in 1989 (not sure why). Boaz is a very charming and beautiful young man who lives with his girlfriend Noa. He is a student at the university of Tel Aviv studying linguistics. He goes to the post office to check status of his scholarship but instead one day sees a letter from a secret admirer. The letters keep coming with more and more details about Boaz's life which makes him realize that the person is somewhere close to his everyday life. His thoughts are consumed with finding out who it could possibly be. Especially as he knows the letters are from a man. Paranoia takes over when everyone he meets becomes a possible suspect of the daily correspondence. Boaz has history in military, during one of the evenings he kisses a man whom I think he had a crush on and the guy knew it. Deep down, he desperately hopes that the letters are from him; and during the sleepless nights in Israel, he stays up and fantasies about leaving everything behind and running off with his adolescent crush. But the letters start taking a toll on the life of Boaz and Noa. The once very much in love couple barely talk to each other. Noa one day reads letters and figures out the reason for stress but Boaz never brings it up to her because he is very confused about his sexuality and what he wants from life. When another letter appears saying that Boaz’s admirer is finally going to reveal himself, she is terrified at what this could mean. She knows who the letters are from and she confronts the man. Ultimately Boaz has to take an action to find out what he really wants and make decision because he has to move on with his life.

This film is a very strong exploration of obsession and sexuality. There are so many nuances in the film, you feel very connected to the characters. You feel you know exactly what Noa and Boaz are thinking, who by the way, both are excellent performers and their chemistry is amazing. When the truth comes out about the guy, it is shocking because you could have never guessed who the letters were from but it al makes sense. There is a lot that is said through background music and eyes, which just adds to the overall beauty and tension in the film. The fact that Boaz looks absolutely delicious just adds to the film and there are more than handful scenes where we see him almost naked. SO there is a lot of eye candy. My favorite thing about the film is that Boaz feels very human. I can see a lot of people not knowing how to react in such situations and really struggling which in turn will effect their everyday lives.

A refreshing film with focus on the two characters whose life is in turmoil because of a secret admirer looking from 2 different angles. A compelling and reflective experience. (7.5/10)

Comments

luigi43 said…
Does it means that everyone can be repaired?
Golu said…
Nope. Thats not the point at all. He was never meant to be repaired. It was an attraction that he felt at some point towards his friend. He wasn't really gay!! I strongly believe that there are various levels of homosexuality and heterosexuality and lot of people fall on the spectrum in between. He was an attractive man, who was liking the attention and wanted to experiment an so he did.
wagabunda said…
If so, than why does he masturbate after having a dream sequence with the guy in the military?
Golu said…
As I said, IMO, gay and straight are not 0 & 1 binary. There is a whole range of spectrum. There are times when you are attracted o a person irrespective of gender and you feel something strong and passionate towards the person. But then, who I am to speak on the director's behalf :)
lina said…
I so much agree with your theory of scales
Golu said…
how come you havent posted your comments in a while :)

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