Eyes Wide Open (2009)
"Einayim Petukhoth" (original title)

A married, Orthodox Jewish father of four falls in love with a twenty two year old male student.

Director:

Haim Tabakman

Writer:

Merav Doster (screenplay)

Stars:

Zohar Shtrauss, Ran Danker, Tinkerbell

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Zohar Shtrauss	...	Aaron Fleischman (as Zohar Strauss)
Ran Danker	...	Ezri
Tinkerbell	...	Rivka Fleischman
Tzahi Grad	...	Rabbi Vaisben
Isaac Sharry	...	Mordechai
Avi Grainik	...	Israel Fischer (as Avi Grayinik)
Eva Zrihen-Attali	...	Sara
Haim Zanati	...	Ultraorthodox Weirdo (as Haim Znati)
Mati Atlas	...	Ex-Boy Friend
Iftach Ophir	...	Head of Yeshiva Student in the Butchery (as Iftach Ofir)
Safrira Zachai	...	Fischer's Mother (as Shafrira Zakai)
Lidor Daudi	...	Yakov
Tal Barak	...	David
Bar Kalfin	...	Shimon
Royi Zolicha	...	Nataniel

Storyline

Aaron (Shtrauss), a respected butcher and a family man in an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Jerusalem, leads a conservative life of community devotion and spiritual dedication. Aaron's life undergoes a series of emotional changes following the arrival of a young apprentice (Danker) to his shop. Consumed with lust, the handsome "Yeshiva" student irreversibly transforms the intricate beliefs in the once-devoted butcher's life - leading Aaron to question his relationships with his wife, children, community, and God.

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Plot Keywords:

butcher | jewish | jerusalem | yeshiva | children | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Haut et Court [fr] Official site

Country:

Israel Germany France

Language:

Hebrew Yiddish

Release Date:

2 September 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

Eyes Wide Open

Filming Locations:

Jerusalem, Israel

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$6,818 (USA) (5 February 2010)

Gross:

$30,818 (USA) (5 March 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arte, Das Kleine Fernsehspiel (ZDF), Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in RuPaul's Drag Race: RuPaul's Hair Extravaganza (2011)

User Reviews

As Sad and Complex as Real Life

I just saw this at the Minneapolis-St. Paul film festival. A powerful, relentless film that seems to imply, if I can trust my instincts, that "falling in love" is a spiritual phenomenon devoid of gender considerations. Now, I may disagree with this personally, but the director makes such a powerful case for it that it is entertaining to watch.

Also implied is the message that repression produces the opposite effect in the long run...

In the film, a super-fundamentalist butcher in an ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhood meets and falls for another man, despite the social and even physical danger. The scene in which the two meet is shot in such a way that even we heterosexuals in the audience can understand. The young apprentice enters from a pouring rain with a cherubic, earnest look on his face and, for just a second, what the director is trying to say echoes in everyone watching.

The scenes between the butcher and his plain yet somehow beautiful and patient wife become more tense and more poignant, even as they become more and more muted.

Overall, this was an excellent film. I gave it four out of five on my ballot.

Things to watch for: Pool of Siloam, frank but not disgusting sex scenes. A-