Sublet **** (2020, John Benjamin Hickey, Niv Nissim, Lihi Kornowski, Miki Kam, Peter Spears)

Director Eytan Fox’s 2020 emotionally powerful, thoroughly likeable and appealing romantic comedy drama Sublet stars John Benjamin Hickey as a gay middle-aged New York Times travel writer, Michael, who comes to Tel Aviv for research to write an article, after suffering a tragedy connected with his husband David (Peter Spears) and their wish to have a baby back in New York.

He has sublet an apartment in the trendy zone of town, but finds the handsome young Israeli owner Tomer (Niv Nissim) still there. He says he’ll book into a hotel instead. Tomer says, no, stay, he needs the money.

Tomer starts to show Michael the city (and the beach) and its energy and his unlikely connection with the younger man brings him back to life, just as he sparks up Tomer as the father he never had. Tomer eventually takes Michael to meet his mother for lunch and the scene with the two men and Tomer’s liberated single mother (Miki Kam) is a poignant gem, though it is far from the film’s only poignant moment.

Expertly handled by Eytan Fox, persuasively written by Eytan Fox and Itay Segal and subtly and ingratiatingly acted by Hickey and Nissim, Sublet is credible, amusing, touching, and just quirky, punchy and original enough. The situation might be slightly familiar but script is unusually thoughtful and intelligent, and this story can be told and retold profitably many, many times. And it is another enjoyable and meaningful brief encounter story in BFI Flare London following Boy Meets Boy (the boy’s bike gets stolen in both movies!).

Sublet premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival on 15 April 2020 and screened at BFI Flare London LGBTQ+ Film Festival on 17 March 2021.

Also in the cast are Lihi Kornowski, Miki Kam, Peter Spears and Tamir Ginsburg.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Movie Review

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