Michael Mayer and Yael Shafrir set out to tell a multi-layered tale of sexual identity, politics, and social commentary. After meeting in a Tel Aviv nightclub, psychology major, Nimr, and Jewish lawyer, Roy, feel an instant attraction and fall in love. They are challenged as outsiders in their communities and in dealing with the escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The film has much to say about society and acceptance but, surprisingly, co-writer and director had a much tougher time with a completely different aspect of the filmmaking process.
“Actually, the biggest challenge for me wasn’t the political or social aspects of the story, but rather creating a love story that felt real,” said Michael Mayer. We worked with the actors, Nicholas Jacob, (Nimr) who has never acted before and Michael Aloni (Roy) who’s a big star in Israel, to create a relationship that feels true and intimate. We rehearsed a lot and gave them time set to try things and find their own voices. It was important for us to portray a relationship that was as much a friendship as it was about falling in love.”