Time Off (1990)

A young soldier is being treated very harsh by his commanding lieutenant. Just before they will be sent out to Lebanon, their battalion gets one day off to relax in Jerusalem. There the ... See full summary »

Director:

Eytan Fox

Stars:

Gil Frank, Hanoch Re'im, Tzufit Grant

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Gil Frank	...	Erez
Hanoch Re'im	...	Yonatan
Tzufit Grant	...	Mali (as Tzofit Elyashiv)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yuval Carmi	...	Sergeant
Dana Cohen	...	Shira
Moshe Ferster	...	Morgenstein
Mohammed Hirzalla	...	Rahamim
Benjamin Jagendorf	...	Ido
Uri Mauda	...	Gozali

Storyline

A young soldier is being treated very harsh by his commanding lieutenant. Just before they will be sent out to Lebanon, their battalion gets one day off to relax in Jerusalem. There the soldier finds out the lieutenant has sex in a public park.

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Plot Keywords:

sex in public | gay soldier | gay interest | israeli | army | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Press kit

Country:

Israel

Language:

Hebrew English

Release Date:

1990 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Time Off

Filming Locations:

Jerusalem, Israel

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Hands Untied: Looking for Gay Israeli Cinema (2014)

User Reviews

It's all about........what isn't said....(or: Sexy, Sexy Hands)

(Titled "After" {1990} on the IMDb.com web site and "Time Off" as part of the short film DVD collection, "Boys Life 5")

This is one of the earliest works of Eytan Fox (later came "Yossi & Jagger" and "Walk on Water"), and for gays, or those so interested, it's one of the most satisfying. It's a story of an Israeli Army unit in training and on short leave, of it's lieutenant leader and, most particularly, one of its young soldiers. Yonatan (Jonathan?), impressively played by actor, Hanoch Reim, is in the final stages of realizing who he is, sexually, and it is absolutely amazing to watch his reactions and growing response to the handsome young unit commander, a part also well-played by Gil Frank.

While many sections of this short, 45 minute film are slow going (unit training interactions and the fun "behavings" of young soldiers on short leave in Jerusalem), it is when the film concentrates on Yonatan, especially during time spent in a city park, that we get most drawn in. A scene in the park men's restroom is almost palpable and one of the most arousing I've witnessed. Hanoch Reim gives us "a study in pure longing." The response he creates leaves no doubt in our minds as to just where he wants to be, what he wants to be doing, and with whom. (How CAN one do that, with just eyes, facial expression and the very slightest of head movement?). It is rather surprising that, with one exception, young Reim doesn't seem to have gone on to later film performances in the succeeding 15 years. Frank, on the other hand, has kept somewhat busy, particularly in Israeli TV. But in this film, precursor to "Yossi & Jagger," at least Reim has left us with a most indelible performance.

PS: The last two lines of spoken dialog and a half-smile of realization tell us everything we need to know. (Oh, and my alternate Comment title, above, will become quite clear to you on viewing....Enjoy)

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