Out in the Dark (2013)

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Definitely one of my favourite gay movies of all time. The two leads had a lot of chemistry (and Michael Aloni is smoking!), which made their interactions, and subsequently love, feel real. Roy was stellar throughout the movie, and portrayed his inner conflict really well. Nimer could get a bit annoying, but after a second time watching, I realized it was because he just had a lot of fear. There's a lot of conflict in the movie due to the Palestine-Israel subject matter, and it does add a sense of gravity and darkness to the movie. It feels like a star-crossed lovers theme, but it didn't fall into clichés, as far as I could tell. The ending was also left ambiguous but those sick of sad endings for gay movies (like me grr) will be hoping for the best.Overall a great movie starring good actors who have chemistry!

This film is one of the best films of the year, also one of the best gay films. It has a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is very emotional. It is very romantic. Acting in the movie is superb with no fictive gay kiss but you are blended into their romance and love. However I rather hate movies which has no end. In this case, I wish they did made a happy ending. Actors, specially, Nicholas Jacob's acting is superb. All other actors were also extremely good. You ask yourself why on earth Hollywood does not hire these people for its movies. There was no single part in this movie, I felt fake.

When Nimr, a Palestinian student, sneaks across the border into Tel Aviv he meets Israeli lawyer Roy in a nightclub. Despite an initial hesitation on Nimr's part, the two meet again and quickly fall in love. However, despite their burgeoning romance, the two must face the fact that Nimr is caught between a rock and a hard place - unable to be openly gay in Palestine and unable to live with Roy in Tel Aviv due to the political situation. Set against a backdrop of personal and political tensions, 'Out in the Dark' is a beautiful and tender piece of film-making which, while setting itself within the Israel/Palestine conflict, avoids being preachy or overly-political.With the exception of one slightly heavy-handed subplot involving Nimr's brother, the film chooses not to delve too deeply into the Middle Eastern conflict, instead focusing on how it affects those who are born into it and cannot escape or evade their backgrounds.The two leads, played by Israelian actor Michael Aloni and relative newcomer Nicholas Jacob, are utterly compelling and will leave audiences wanting the two to succeed despite knowing that, in all likelihood, their romance is doomed.The cinematography is also excellent; often filmed digitally and using only natural and available light sources, the film is lent a gritty, moody and bleak tone which only adds to the film's realism and atmosphere. It also, in the film's third act, helps to heighten the frenetic and tense pacing as the two lovers race to find a way to stay together while avoiding the forces which would tear them apart.'Out in the Dark' is a moody and atmospheric debut feature from director Michael Mayer which transcends the 'LGBT film' genre to provide a gripping thriller and an engaging love story.

This is one of the most beautiful and touching films I've seen. While it touched me personally as a gay man, I really believe it's for everyone regardless of their sexuality or views on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.The story centers on Nimr, a young Palestinian man studying psychology at Birzeit university. At night, Nimr avoids border patrols to illegally enter Tel Aviv and go to gay bars; his conservative family doesn't know about his sexual orientation. It's this way that he meets Roy, a handsome Israeli lawyer working at his well-connected father's law firm, and the two instantly hit it off. Nimr initially receives a student visa that would enable him to visit Tel Aviv once a week to take a course. However, the honeymoon is soon over for the young couple, when Israeli security forces attempt to blackmail Nimr by threatening to reveal his sexuality to his family unless he collaborates with them. Given that his family - including a brother who's part of an extremist rebel movement - will clearly disown him (or worse) if they find out, Nimr is backed into a corner.As the film progresses, Nimr's situation gets increasingly dark and dangerous, while Roy scrambles to pull any strings he can to help his lover but comes up short. In the third act, "Out" transitions into a thriller, as Nimr is on the run from Israeli authorities and the two lovers must decide how far they'll go to save him. It becomes more and more evident how appropriate the film's title is, as the situation the protagonists are in forces them to run and hide, keep their love literally and figuratively in the dark, rather than celebrate it.Mayer has stated that while his film has political themes, it is far more personal than political, and this truth is a major strength of the film. Mayer and co-writer Yael Shafrir aren't out to send a political message or choose a side. They show the evil on both sides, as the focus is internal, on the struggle the couple goes through to stay together. The love story itself is incredibly heartwarming and tender, whether we're watching a steamy (yet tasteful) love scene between the two men, bonding about their childhoods, or Roy comforting Nimr over the horrible loss of a friend. And the chemistry between the two leads is off the charts, gluing us to the screen whenever they share it. This is crucial, because it ensures we've invested in the fate of this forbidden romance.Mayer deserves a ton of credit for pulling off such an impressive directorial debut (this is his first feature film). While the film is very well made on the technical side, from cinematography to editing to music, I'll focus on the performances. Nicholas Jacob, a first-time actor, is a revelation as Nimr. He instantly creates an earnest, charming, likable protagonist, who evokes our sympathy more and more as his situation deteriorates. Shades of vulnerability, sadness and fear stir in Nimr's eyes as we watch this jaded young man try to hold on to what little hope he has. "Out" wouldn't be half the film it is if it wasn't for Jacob's powerful performance. Michael Aloni's role as Roy isn't as meaty, but he delivers as well, showing Roy's compassion and care for the man he was instantly smitten with. Roy's initial naïveté, believing Nimr's situation can be resolved by just going to the authorities, reflects his privileged well-connected background, so very different from his lover's. Later in the film, however, it is replaced by desperation at the couple's seemingly untenable predicament, and then by determination to do whatever it takes to help Nimr – Aloni pulls off all of these beats. The film ends on a dark, but ambiguous note, which I found appropriate. A crowd-pleasing happy ending would have been unrealistic under the circumstances. But given the heart and tenderness of the film, keeping hope alive in the end was the right choice in my opinion. I appreciate that Mayer and Shafrir didn't go for a full-blown tragic ending.Romeo and Juliet stories might seem like a worn-out genre, but when done well, I believe that love fighting against all odds is still a tale worth telling. "Out" is not a film for gay people or "leftists". It's not about homophobia or the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. It's about love and the desperate fight it must put up to survive in a world ruled by hate.