Out in the Dark (2012)

I love this movie so much

Good movie but grossly overrated

The acting in this movie is really good.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Out in the Dark is a movie about true love, giving all yourself to the other person. It is set in Israel and Palestine, describing the most powerful love chemistry I have ever seen on the screen. I got really connected to the both of main characters. Scenery is really beautiful and story is really breathtaking. There is one thing in this movie that I almost never think about. It is music, made for the movie. You can almost feel it on your skin. Especially the last one ( France by Mark Holden ). Even today, when I listen to it, I feel very sad and get goosebumps every time.There was a debate if this was pink-washing movie. I never got that in mind. Both sides are depicted in neutral way. They are both full of good and bad characters. I do not see this movie as political. It is movie about true love and sharing all you have with other part of your soul.The ending really got me in tears, left me thinking about future of both characters. Song France makes you feel feelings main roles feel and makes you think about all good stuff they went trough together. Definitely, one of the best love movies I've ever seen.

A formidably engaging queer output from Israel, my second entry into this particular scenario after Haim Tabakman's EYES WIDE OPEN (2009, 6/10). OUT IN THE DARK is director Michael Mayer's debut feature, and he co-writes the script of an arresting drama wrestles with coming-out, domestic conflict, political witch-hunt, social discrimination against homosexuality with appalling atrocity. It touches on many thorny and grim issues of the facts-of-life in the middle east (perceptively chooses Palestine and Israel, the two adjacent foes, for their utter incompatibility in politics and religions, whereas love can conquer these all), tellingly and touchingly eulogizes an ode to the true love's indestructible strength albeit a gloomy future is probably anticipating for the star-crossed lovers Nimr (Jacob), a Palestinian student and Roy (Aloni), a young lawyer from Israel. A powerful gut-punch followed by a chilling emotional shake is my instant feeling of the uncertain and ambiguous ending, it is abrupt but also perfect, since a self-deceptive happy ending is not likely in any case, at the very end, Roy sacrifices his promise for Nimr's safety, who is totally entrapped in the menacing reality and has no one to rely on except him, being a stowaway is by far the only way out for Nimr, at least he can survive, as long as he is alive, there is hope for a reunion, this is the optimistic leitmotif "love can always find a way" which strikes as a potent leap of faith for audience. The unresting and wobbly camera-work intrepidly creates a claustrophobic environment both for the movie's suffocating tensions and the arousing intimacy, as a first-time project, Mayer has the real knack to organize a compelling story with succinct cuts and minimal elements, also his attention to details is a great trait for this line of work. For instance, in the halfway, when Nimr forfeits his border pass to enter Tel Aviv, he can only communicate with Roy through telephone, after a distressing phone call, the camera gives a close-up to Nimr's cellphone on the floor, which he leaves behind in anxiety, the close-up certainly suggests the phone is playing a role to the plot, after a verbal dispute with his brother Nabil (Khoury), he heads back but doesn't pick up the phone. But Mayer hasn't forgotten it, in the next shot, Roy's sister Abir (Daw) accidentally reads an SMS from Roy, it sounds quite drab in written form, but during the viewing, it is this acuteness in details makes the narrative work with credibility. Two gorgeous males play Nimr and Roy, Nicholas Jacob is a non-professional but sympathetically extracts his raw sex appeal and inexorable desperation to the scenes where is needed. Michael Aloni, a pure eye-candy and exudes great force of personality as Roy, the lover-cum-savior for Nimr, he is the one who can exit with a clean slate, but against all odds, he sticks around and never give up hope, Aloni competently strides onto the top tier in my Supporting Actor category. So, the film is an outstanding drama evokes soul-searching reverberations for its viewers with a rather mature execution for a debut feature, recommended to all non-prejudiced cinephiles.

Nimer is a gay psychology Arab student who lives with his homophobic family a few kilometers from the Palestinian Israeli border. He has a brother who is a gunrunner for an extremist group. Roy who lives in Tel Aviv, is a successful Israeli lawyer who works for his father's firm. His family is more accepting as far as gay lifestyle is concerned but not too happy of "rainbow flags waving at them".Nimer and Roy met at a Tel Aviv gay bar one night. And fell in love. Their romance is doomed from the start.And then the Israeli Security Force revokes Nimer's free movement school pass to Tel Aviv and wants to use him to get information about his brother's activities. How much would you risk to save your love one and your relationship?Film is suspenseful with a dose of drama and romance. There are scenes which are pretty outstanding: the dramatic scene where Nimer was driven out from his house by his family is heart-wrenching. Look at Nimer's eyes when confronted by his stern mom. All of the actors did well on this scene. I also like Michael Aloni who played Roy who looks like a real seasoned actor. He has real depth in acting as can be seen thru his facial expressions.Some moments may seem implausible that's why I'm not giving it a full 10 stars. Now that Nimer's desperate, why would he not tell his lover the whole story so he could help him fully plan their course of action? Why is he not answering his phone during the crucial moments?I am not fond of hanging endings but I guess it just mirrors the real lives of gay Arabs and Israeli couples. But I do believe one thing: love will always find a way...

When I began watching this movie I didn't know anything about the story, I just knew it was a gay themed film. I will say that I have seen a great number of gay themed films so my only reference in this genre isn't the classic Brokeback Mountain everyone always praises about (which in my opinion is barely an average gay themed film, there are much better films out there that are less known). Out in the Dark belongs now to my Top 5 gay themed films and here are the reasons. This film represents the reality and how gay people are seen and treated in Palestine/Israel. If you thought that in western culture being accepted as a gay person was a difficult process, it is million times harder if you happen to born in Palestine. This film isn't trying to be "the best film of the year" nor it doesn't have the most "intelligent" storyline, but it is about showing how things can differ from our (western) way of experiencing and seeing things. Out in the Dark takes the viewer to a trip to the streets of Palestine/Israel and shows those moments most Hollywood screenwriters would not add to the screenplay since they are not what the "screenwriting manual" tells you to write. This is also what makes this film so appealing; you are following a journey of a person as it happens, aka "live", without any editing tricks or plot twists taking place all over the film. During the film I was constantly thinking how this could end and if the film can retain that level of intensity during the whole film, it means the film is well-made. At the end Out in the Dark is a film about love and how strong love can be between two people regardless of their sex. The ending will certainly divide people whether they like it or not, but I would have personally loved to see more, but I will not tell more since I would otherwise spoil it for you.Out in the Dark shouldn't really be compared to films like Brokeback Mountain since this has a completely different narrative mindset as a film. Brokeback Mountain is a classic Hollywood polished love story just made with well-known actors and a director, but I personally feel that Brokeback Mountain gets praised more than it should. Films like Shelter (2007) and Just a Question of Love (2000) are million times better than Brokeback Mountain and I would recommend them anytime for anyone who wishes to see a well-done gay themed film. Even though by itself Out in the Dark isn't in my opinion as good as these two I just mentioned, it is still best gay themed film when it comes to this type of films; films which represent reality as it appears in a current day. Brokeback mountain is simply a reality sugared with all possible drama elements when in Out in the Dark the main thing is not to go through the "beginning, middle and end", it's the part of the journey one person must take to survive.