A sort of “Brokeback Menachem,” Israel’s “Eyes Wide Open” explores a lust-driven affair between two men, one of whom is married, in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox community.
Aaron, a butcher and father of four, exchanges longing glances with his 22-year-old assistant, Ezri. As they act on their feelings, word gets out to their disapproving peers, although their rabbi seems more tolerant, offering wisdom like, “God doesn’t want a man to suffer.”
Quiet, sober and tense, the movie makes some interesting points — contrasting the frenzied hookups of the two men with the butcher’s rote, dismal lovemaking with his wife as their bodies are carefully hidden under sheets — but it lacks the emotional firepower of “Brokeback Mountain.”