Surreal "Yes!" Takes a Wild Ride Through Militarized Israel

Dagens Nyheter reviews Nadav Lapid's latest film, "Yes!", a political satire with musical elements that delves into the Faustian bargain of an artist in a repressive society. The film is framed against the backdrop of a deeply divided Israel, where, as Lapid suggests, the nation has "sunk into a deep moral abyss."

The review highlights the film's surreal and chaotic journey through what it portrays as a degenerated society. It draws parallels to Paolo Sorrentino's "The Great Beauty" and notes the protagonist Y's resemblance to Roberto Benigni's characters. The film's setting, including a view over Gaza where distant explosions are real, adds a layer of stark reality to its surreal narrative.

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Israel has sunk into a deep moral abyss.

While acknowledging the film's "mad" execution, with its musical numbers, jarring graphics, and shaky camera work, the review commends its underlying thought. "Yes!" is presented as a classic Faustian tale, questioning the artist's complicity and role within a system that fosters extreme anti-Palestinian sentiment. From a Swedish perspective, the film's unflinching critique of Israeli society and its artistic choices offer a provocative lens through which to view the complexities of the region's political and social landscape.

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Yes! is fundamentally a classic Faust story about the artist's role in a repressive society.