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Spongey wrote on 05/29/2011:

I loved this movie subtitles and all. Even though I saw it many years ago, I still remember the tenderness and heartache. An excellent film that deserves to be seen.

Amos Lassen wrote on 02/11/2011:

“YOSSI AND JAGGER”
Gay in Love in Israel
Amos Lassen
Eytan Fox, the Israeli director, scored quite a hit with his first major international film release “Yossi and Jagger”, a movie about two gay Israeli army officers and is based on a true happening. They are stationed in a position on the Israel-Lebanon border. Yossi is the company commander an introvert and a product of the military system while Jagger (named for Mick) is completely open and the friend of all in his company and in the platoon which he commands. They try to find a place where they can be who they are, a place that is a haven against the opposing and oppressing rigid system of military life. Jagger is due to finish his duty to the service soon while Yossi wants to keep their relationship a secret. As they are about to embark on a tremendously dangerous mission, the tensions between the two come close to exploding. The movie is courageous, genuine, real and amusing while still painful, So much more liberal towards gays in the military, Israel represents a wonderful place to these guys (as long as they are not overt). Because of the security risks in the country, all men and women are required to serve and their lives are put on the line.
It is a pity that this movie s so short but in its brevity it still packs quite a wallop. It seems to be a cinematic short story about two soldiers who just happen to be in love. Yossi (Ohad Knoller) is a big and macho male who takes his army career very seriously is the exact opposite of Jagger (Yehuda Levi) who is lighthearted and happy go lucky. They must keep their feelings secret because of the nature of their mission. We see them on a winter day when their special time in a special way is interrupted by the visit of a high ranking officer who orders all of the soldiers to set up an ambush against suspected terrorist invasions from Lebanon. They prepare for their mission without realizing the seriousness of it. Jagger wants Yossi to come out and tensions reach a high level by the time the men undertaken their mission which turns out to be very dangerous. If I were to tell any more I might spoil the beauty of the movie for those of you who have not seen it.
The underlying theme of “Make Love, Not War” really comes to the fore as the movie draws to a close. And the story is all too brief. “Yossi and Jagger” does not fit into any category when attempting to classify the film. It is not really about gays in the military because the military is just the backdrop. It is not really a love story because the love between the two men, although sexual, is innocent.
The film is a day in the life of the Israeli army and shows what hours of boredom and days of fear can do. The movie is not about gay sex, although it is there, but about love and survival. When Jagger begins to make long term plans for himself and Yossi, the tragedy that is to come is slightly foreshadowed.
It is really about two soldiers who find love during war time and does not go into the gay/military issue. Instead it deals with young people who attempt to find a balance in life between their responsibilities to their country and having a life and loving the people they want to love.
The movie was originally made for Israeli TV and clocks in at a short 67 minutes. It is a modest undertaking but is made more meaningful by great writing and above competent acting. Director Fox conveys the atmosphere of army life with rich detail. As “Yossi and Jagger” sits on the fence between sensationalism and pathos, it is an admirable movie and a welcome addition to the canon of gay film as it gives us an effective look at men caught between personal desire and the expectations of society.

Janorm wrote on 03/09/2008:

This is a story of supreme love in the most impossible of places at the most improbable of times by the most implacable of peoples; yet, this love survives and it thrives, up until the bloody physical end. Even this cannot destroy the link, as shown......... This is one of the five Classic Gay Love Movies. A must see!!

yawnmower (yawnmower1@juno.com) wrote on 01/24/2005:

This little gem may be the best news out of Israel in years. There are no politics here, and no axe to grind. Eytan Fox has simply given us a powerful, bittersweet love story between two soldiers in a remote outpost. It could be anywhere, in any army, at any time. It just happens to be now, and in Israel.

With great mastery, Mr. Fox has put together an ensemble of characters which are diverse, real, funny, and human. Outstanding are Ohad Knoller as Yossi, commander of the unit, and Yehuda Levi as his lover. They prove that opposites attract: Yossi is career army who has stepped out of character to love Jagger, but who is afraid of discovery and reluctant to declare his love; Jagger, so named because of his extraordinary looks (Mick Jagger was never this angelic or beautiful), is a free spirit who longs to live in the open with his partner. And there's the rub. The two fight just before a disastrous foray into dangerous territory. Their parting epitomizes the term 'heart wrenching' in its sense of lost possibilities and opportunities. One yearns for a happier ending for these two sweet, sincere, loving men.

dudekabob wrote on 01/21/2005:

Ah, yes, minimalist cinema. . . very tricky to pull off. This one, however, manages to do it in record time, or the right amount of time exactly. From the confines of the igloo-like set to the sweeping and empty vistas of snowy Lebanon, nothing in this tight little film is taken for granted. The minimal cast is supurb with each character well-defined and necessary - not an easy fete in the notoriosly ego-centric world of filmmaking. The "war dance" in itself is a glory, but the end of this film will break your heart without resorting to even the slightest bit of sap or melodrama. The honestly behind Yossi's smile when he sees the photo of Jagger in the bunny costume deserves an Oscar on its own. Sometimes I wonder if people who have written some of these reviews are talking about he film they saw or the one they thought they were going to see. Maybe they have trouble with subtitles, or subltety, or simply feeling something without the sensation of touch.