Out in the Dark **** (2012, Nicholas Jacob, Michael Aloni, Jamil Khoury) – Classic Movie Review 12,472

The 2012 Israeli romantic drama film Out in the Dark is tremendously well done, urgent and exciting, with strong performances. It tells a compelling story of the love affair between two men on opposite sides of the Middle-East conflict. 

The 2012 Israeli romantic drama film Out in the Dark is tremendously well done, urgent and exciting, with strong performances all round but especially by the two stars. It tells a compelling story of the love affair relationship between two men on opposite sides of the Middle-East conflict but united by their love: Israeli lawyer Roy Scheffer (played by Michael Aloni) and Palestinian psychology student Nimer Mashrawi (played by Nicholas Jacob). It is the tale of two Romeos.

Out in the Dark is the directorial debut of Israeli director Michael Mayer, who ensures that it could hardly be more gripping. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2012 and in Israel in the Haifa International Film Festival in October 2012 before being released commercially in Israel on 28 February 2013.

With just 96 minutes of screen time, and an epic feel to it, it is a film that knows where it is going, goes there fast and hard, and ends unforgettably, agonisingly. A super-intelligent script handles all the issues carefully, but mainly sticks doggedly to the individual story, vividly illustrating the issues of course.

The film gained 25 awards, including the Audience Award at the Berlin Jewish Film Festival in 2013, and the FilmOut San Diego in 2013.

The cast are Nicholas Jacob as Nimer Mashrawi, Michael Aloni as Roy Scheffer, Jamil Khoury as Nabil Mashrawi, Alon Pdut as Gil, Loai Nofi as Mustafa N’amna, Khawlah Hag-Debsy as Hiam Mashrawi, Maysa Daw as Abir Mashrawi, and Shimon Mimran as Daniel.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,472

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