Antarctica
Dir. Yair Hochner
Rating: 3.0
Regent Releasing
110 minutes
Have you ever wondered about the series of serendipitous events that have formed our all of our relationships? How much do the elements of chance or choice play in our finding and keeping our ideal life-partner? Antarctica explores this question by examining a period in the lives of several young gay Israelis; the search for intimacy connects the characters both directly and indirectly as their lives crisscross over the length of the film. One of the main characters, Omer (Tomer Ilian) is a cautious and conservative gay librarian approaching his 30th birthday, still unattached. His sister Shirley (Lucy Dubichik) is dealing with major indecision in her on-and-off lesbian relationship. Miss Laila Carry, a portly drag-queen, plays a dual role as both Shoshona ( Omer and Shirley’s mother) and Amran, a strange middle-aged man who has a curious interest in Omer.
Israeli director Yair Hochner creates a sense of connectedness by playing the first segment of the film as a series of short vignettes involving Boaz (Ofer Regirer) and a stream of steamy one night stands. Virtually all the male characters in the film are briefly introduced at this time. Three years later, we see the same characters forming and dissolving relationships in ever changing constellations. As the film unwinds towards its conclusion we get to watch as many of the characters finally and synchronously pair off with their potentially ideal partners… or not.
Antarctica represents one of several recent Israeli productions that deal openly with gay relationships, along with Eyton Fox’s Yossi and Jagger (2002) and Walk on Water (2004). The characters in this film are generally attractive and likable, although there is not much in the way of development. The soundtrack contributes a positive lighthearted air. The role, however, of drag queen mother seems a bit of a stretch by the director in an attempt to infuse humor. Some audiences may find the character absolutely hilarious; like most Jewish mothers, Shoshana is not alone in her single-minded quest to eventually see her gay son and her lesbian daughter happily married to partners of their choice.
by Allyn Sterling
