Queerguru reviews THE BINDING a tense erotic queer thriller from Israel from Eyal Kantor and Yoav Keren

The Binding is a tense erotic queer thriller from Israel that unashamedly starts off with an explicit sex scene that sets the pace for the next 90 minutes.  Directed by Eyal Kantor and co-written with his life partner  Yoav Keren who also stars as its frequently naked lead Binyamin and who we first see tied to a bed indulging in some very graphic BDSM.  

He’s just turned 21 and lives alone in a small apartment in  Tel Aviv.  He moved there after coming out as gay, and also facing the trauma of his brother’s death in a car accident for which he feels responsible.  He works at a Bar which is a great place to find new partners  for his very active sex life which he likes as rough as his partners can be. 

The bar is owned by Avinoam (Shimon Mimran) a middle-aged nationalist religious family man, and a charismatic person who uses his powerful words as a weapon and who teaches Bible classes to young men on the side. He and Binyamin get on well, so much so when its too late on the Sabbath for Avinoam to get home he stays the night at Binyamin’s apartment.

At first the older man’s interest in him seems genuine and fatherly, but when the relationship grows closer Binyamin’s life takes a turn to the darker side

Its a compelling story with some unexpected plot twists and turns and a very authentic perferimnce from the charuamatic Karen.  However it is also a sharp reminder that no matter how progressive Israel’s attitudes are to our community , anti-LGBT incidents are still on a steep rise over there as they are in so many countries.

(The Binding is available on Amazon.com for both rental and DVD purchase and on AppleTV.)

Review by ROGER WALKER-DACK.

Creator, Owner, Editor-in-Chief.  Miami Beach, FL / Provincetown, MA

Member of G.A.L.E.C.A. (Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association) and NLGJA The Association of LGBT Journalists. and The Online Film Critics Society. Ex Contributing Editor The Gay Uk & Contributor Edge Media Former CEO and Menswear Designer of  Roger Dack Ltd in the UK ‘one of the hardest-working journalists in the business‘ Micheal Goff of Towleroad