Philadelphia Jewish Film and Media Festival - Out in the Dark

Directed by Michael Mayer
Narrative Feature | Israel/USA/Germany | 2012| 96 min | Hebrew, Arabic, and English with English subtitles

OUT IN THE DARK is as much a political and societal commentary as it is an original romantic story. Compelling and intimate, Michael Mayer’s taut first feature follows a border-crossing relationship between an Israeli lawyer and an increasingly desperate Palestinian student. Nimer (Nicholas Jacob), an ambitious Palestinian student in the West Bank, dreams of a better life abroad. One fateful night in Tel Aviv, he meets Roy (Michael Aloni), an Israeli lawyer, and the two fall in love. As their relationship deepens, they are both confronted with the harsh realities of a Palestinian society that refuses to accept Nimer for his sexual identity, and an Israeli society that rejects him for his nationality. When Nimerʼs close friend is caught hiding illegally in Tel Aviv and sent back to the West Bank, where he is brutally murdered, Nimer is forced to choose between the life he thought he wanted and his love for Roy.