The subdued colour palette and icy cold blues of 15 Years may leave some viewers emotionally distant from Yoav’s journey. However, the colour palette equally reflects Yoav’s internal state of mind as he attempts to bury his past.
With his debut feature film, 15 Years, writer/director Yuval Hadadi brings us a film rich in conversations on the boundaries of love and belonging in a sea of internal darkness. Hadadi explores how childhood experiences can directly affect an adult’s emotional security, as a single spark ignites long-suppressed, destructive thoughts. This creates a complex dissection of the mental health challenges that surround our LGBTQ community life while also exploring the need for men to own their emotions rather than bury them.
Yoav and Dan are celebrating their 15th anniversary, and close friends, warmth, and privilege surround their lives together. Their penthouse city apartment in Tel Aviv is a regular hangout for friends, where they eat, drink, and discuss the world’s problems. However, when Yoav’s best friend Alma announces she is pregnant through sperm donation, Yoav’s friends and partner quickly assume he is the donor. But this assumption is neither correct nor welcome to Yoav, as the dinner party spirals into conflict when he reaffirms his dislike of children. But as the room heats up, everyone is confused about where Yoav’s anger and pain have come from. The answer may lie with his father, who lies dying not far away with little contact from his son.
READ MORE: THE POWER OF THE DOG
Hadadi cleverly dissects many of the conflicts surrounding modern gay life by freely exploring a range of social taboos within the narrative. Here, themes of gay parenting are laced with discussions on heteronormative acceptance, while the ‘Peter Pan’ syndrome of gay male life is dissected before our eyes. But at its heart, 15 Years offers us a fascinating exploration of faltering mental health and unresolved trauma.
The subdued colour palette and icy cold blues of 15 Years may leave some viewers emotionally distant from Yoav’s journey. However, the colour palette equally reflects Yoav’s internal state of mind as he attempts to bury his past. Hadadi asks the viewer to look beyond any simple emotional connections to his lead character and instead explore the elements of Yoav’s trauma that lie within.
STREAM IT
Director: Yuval Hadadi
Cast: Oded Leopold, Udi Persi, Ruti Asarsai
Follow Us