MovieChat Forums > Walk on Water (2005) Discussion > 'Right back at'cha, tomtrueman'

'Right back at'cha, tomtrueman'

posted 19 years ago by arizona-philm-phan
2 replies | jump to latest

There have been tons of conjecture as to what was the relationship between Eyal and Axel (and where it might have been heading). But for this Board visitor, after watching the Israel-edition DVD several times, I feel it can be said that what IS known is that a very "close" relationship was developing between Eyal and Alex. What IS NOT known, from the way in which the movie was ended, is how close that relationship actually did come to be. It IS known, from an interview given by Director Fox, that such a real-life story did occur, and that the Mossad agent had a love affair (I think we can presume sexual) with the brother......yet later on married the sister. Unfortunately (I think), in the case of this film, the director/writer were far from clear in showing such an ending (although I think they meant to at least imply it).

Along with what IS and IS NOT included as known, above, would have to be my biggest disappointment with the film.....and that is the director/writer handling of Axel's "personna" or Axel, himself. He's a real sweetie, no doubt about it; that comes across loud and clear and welcomed. Even more, he is not only a lover of life; he is a lover of people, in the best sense of saying this about someone. But.......lest we forget, he is also gay (both on-screen and off) and, if you stop to think about it, wasn't he strangely unexpressive in "that way" to Eyal (did you ever see a point at which Axel looked/acted "hungry" for E?). Very strange, because might we not have been able to expect something like that from him, particularly toward the end of the film, where all their time together should have made it easier for Axel to be less sexually tentative toward E. While we might expect Eyal to hold back in expressing any new feelings, such control would not be expected from the open Axel we had been led to know and care for. One of the DVD Bonus Features shows an apparently well-known media announcer/host who is guiding viewers through an explanation of the film's story and at one point he mentions "...the tough Mossad agent with whom the German brother falls in love...." Well, like I say, I kept looking for (and wanting to find) evidence of such love on A's part; I just didn't see it---although I could see a deep friendliness, an almost puppy-like admiration projected by Axel. So, if a love relationship was intended at all to be shown, then the failure to do so must fall to the team of Director, Fox, and Writer, Uchovsky).

As to the near final scene, the end-of-bed cradling of Eyal by Axel, one has to ponder the implications of that next "24 Months Later" screen: If 9 months of Pia-pregnancy + probably about 10 - 12 months in age of Eyal/Lior Jr. (who is shown in daddy's arms in final scenes) = a total of about 20 months, then just what did take place in those initial months of the 24 month period? Is this F&U leaving room for Eyal and Axel to have played out that period of the real-life relationship between the actual Mossad agent and German brother that Director Fox earlier had mentioned?

And how do we end the film and all this up? Why, with Eyal & Axel, of course, in that very final scene.......Eyal's "Ode to Axel."

To close out what's just gone before, let's give ourselves a "How-Would-You-As-Director-Have-Ended-The-Film" moment. I say: If.....during the final seconds of that end-of-the-bed, holding one another scene, E were to jerk upwards and plant a hard and needy (because he certainly was that)--but very brief--kiss on Axel's lips; then break the kiss, jump to his feet and rush out of the room, mumbing something like: damn, damn, damn. Fade then to screen which says: "24 Months Later." Our imaginations could be taking it from there. So, dear Board readers, how would you end it?

PS: For those of you watching the Israel edition of the DVD (don't know about the US version), one of the biggest "kicks" of all has got to be that portion of one of the Bonus Feature interviews, in which a more than playful Etyan Fox sidles up to a talking at center-screen Ashkenazi and begins an oh-so-sexy play with his tongue in Lior's ear. With no break in stride and a little smile still on his face, Lior continues the interview as if nothing on the face of the earth is happening. This guy has just got to be the most gay-friendly, macho man on the planet!

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] arizona-philm-phan 19 years ago

I wasn't gonna do this, cause in a way it seems like overkill........but, ah well, here goes.

In one of the fun Israeli-edition DVD Bonus Features, Lior and Knut are shown side-by-side in a lovely swimming pool, arms resting on pool edge, when the announcer/host for this feature begins asking Knut questions about first realizing he was gay. Knut is very forthright in his answers. Announcer then says to Lior: "And your first time was in school?" Before L. can answer, Knut looks at Lior and says: "With guys?......I mean....anal penetration?" Lior (first responding to announcer's question) says: "high school." Then responding to Knut's question: "No, never anal penetration....its hurt.......come on." All this is said by L. with a "smuzzy" (my made-up word, but you get the picture) little smile on his face. Alex then starts laughing.

Now, I say to you, Board Readers: believe if you want that Lior's saying "its hurt" because he has heard others say that; I'll be more honest with myself in thinking that it's likely he knows from personal experience. Hey, come on, this guy'll go pretty far in things of interest to gays.......but he's not gonna go as far as admitting to the world that from personal knowledge he knows "its hurt."

Hey, "tomtrueman," you said in an earlier posting: "In the Berlin gay bar, when Eyal is asking about gay sex, he did not sound like he was just making polite conversation. He sounded so much like someone who realizes that the relationship is moving in that direction, and he's getting worried that he won't know what to do. There's a line I want to listen to again when I get the DVD (they told me it would be this week), after Eyal frets that it might "hurt" and Axel says something about them "doing it some other way the first time". Hmmmm... what could that mean?" Then, later on, you said in another posting: "On my edition of the DVD, you have the option of displaying the subtitles in Hebrew, which can be handy where the accented dialogue is hard to understand. It turns out that what Axel says in reponse to Eyal's question about anal sex hurting, during the discussion in the Berlin gay bar, is "That's enough for the first time". (With his accent, it sounded to me like "That's not for the first time") Actually I think that makes less sense now, "for the first time"?? Meaning what, then?"

Well, ttm, I've listened and re-listened to the particular Israeli DVD release I have (in which, by the way, every conversation between Eyal and Axel throughout the film is in English (as are their conversations during the Bonus Features), and this is the way that the Berlin bar conversation goes: E: "Doesn't it hurt?" A: "No, not really; you have to relax your tushy and then it can feel pretty good..........the feeling of someone entering your body, the feeling of.........uh......maybe that's enough for the first time, huh?" Anyway, ttm, I think what Axel means is that he's provided enough explanation about the subject as a first time lesson for Eyal. I don't believe he means they can try something other than anal penetration for their first time.

Well, it's been fun. Bye, bye, folks.