Overview
A forbidden love story unfolds in the heart of Jerusalem, challenging faith and tradition.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- somber
- melancholic
- intimate
- quiet evening
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's patient, poignant treatment of hidden desire and the emotional conflict between homosexuality, faith, family, and communal repression.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Aaron's attraction to Ezri destabilizes his marriage, community standing, spiritual beliefs, and place within an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood.
Aaron and Ezri's relationship develops through their work in the butcher shop and the tension between physical closeness and social prohibition.
Aaron is forced to reconsider his relationships with Rivka, his children, his community, and God after Ezri's arrival.
The butcher shop and neighborhood operate within an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem community whose conservative norms constrain Aaron's desires.
Films like Eyes Wide Open, and why
God's Own Country
shared intimate queer drama, religious repression, and restrained emotional intensity
A Fantastic Woman
shared forbidden same-sex desire, conservative social structures, and melancholic melodrama
Benediction
shared slow-burning queer romance confronting faith, family, and social conformity
The Wound
shared austere visual style, suppressed desire, and conflict between sexuality and religious community
Movie Details
- Director
- Haim Tabakman
- Release Date
- 2009-05-20
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (80)
Cast
- Zohar Shtrauss
- Ran Danker
- Tinkerbell
- Tzahi Grad
- Isaac Sharry
- Avi Grainik
- Eva Zrihen-Attali
- Haim Zanati
- Mati Atlas
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Eyes Wide Open about?
- A devout Jerusalem butcher is drawn into a forbidden relationship that makes his faith, marriage, and place in an ultra-Orthodox community impossible to take for granted.
- What is Eyes Wide Open like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Eyes Wide Open as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Eyes Wide Open violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Eyes Wide Open as mild.
- What did critics think of Eyes Wide Open?
- Critics broadly praised the film's patient, poignant treatment of hidden desire and the emotional conflict between homosexuality, faith, family, and communal repression.
- Which films are like Eyes Wide Open?
- Films with a similar feel include God's Own Country, A Fantastic Woman, Benediction, and The Wound.
- How long is Eyes Wide Open?
- Eyes Wide Open runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Eyes Wide Open?
- In United States, Eyes Wide Open is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store.
