Snails in the Rain (2013)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Fantastic!

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I thought perhaps this one would be different, but sadly no. This film left me with an overwhelming sense of sadness. For the main character, for those who deny themselves to live the way society expects. For his girlfriend who ends up in a marriage that's a lie. I could go on. However, suffice to say that it's just another homophobic film dressed up as a "gay" film. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was funded by ultra-conservatives. Disappointing. It gets 4/10 only because of the better than usual acting you find in this genre. Also, some of the guys, including the lead actor, are hot. That's about it.

I enjoyed the film. But I was expecting something a little more involved, than this one sided story. That being said, I still recommend seeing it.Boaz is the usual 'gay' dream. Which Yoav Reuveni lives up to in the most photogenic way. However, that is all you get. You never know anything more than the notion that his love interest is a writer who loves to write about Boaz. The viewer only barely gets to know the secret writer until well into the final moments of the film, and then when he is revealed, we don't get to know the writer in the way we got to know Boaz. As a one sided story, the story of Boaz is quite stereotypical. Bi- sexual man has repressed feelings for male touch, and every time he gets touched in that special way by a man he's into, he reverts to over- masculinity, and beats up said man-interests every time. Sure, you could call this an emotional investigation into Boaz, as he wrestles with his yearning for male touch, while accepting that his life is with his girlfriend. But that's all you are offered. Take it or leave it, seeing Yoav Reuveni rise and fall in sweaty homoerotic lust has its moments. But, you're kind of left wishing there was some resolution to the letters and the writer, that takes a more creative approach to this ultimately quite common gay story; rather than taking the film in that direction, we are left with the ever old stereotype caricature of gay guy likes man, man doesn't like gay guy. Man moves on with girlfriend...Had the script and timeline of the film started with the ending, and moved backwards to the beginning, maybe we could have had a more tidy ending, with some depth to the secret writer. Alas though, we are left with as much insight on the writer at the end of the film as the beginning. Such is life.

This film tells the story of a university student who lives with his girlfriend. He receives anonymous love letters from a man, which unleashes his difficult battle with his sexuality."Snails in the Rain" places a lot of emphasis on the emotional battle of the main character, Boaz. He is clearly homosexual, and yet he denies himself of his sexuality. The film portrays his troubled life - how he suspects or fantasises every man he sees to be the writer of the romantic love letters. Yet, he continues living with his girlfriend, denying himself and his girlfriend of the happiness they deserve. It is quite a suspenseful but sad film. In addition, eye candies are far from frequent, and those who expect sex scenes will be disappointed.

A very very dense and captivating drama of how sexuality and love or not being loved affects people. Firstly, the camera work makes you follow every second of it tensely, from the very beginning on you feel and see like the main character and follow his every look, and every man you see you think this could be the one writing the letters, but you are never sure and then, secondly, when you meet the girlfriend, you feel as if you know exactly what she's thinking, all in all, their change from being really close to growing apart is portrayed very natural. And then, thirdly, when you learn who the writer is, you can hardly believe it, cause all the hints were so subtle, it could have been everyone, and for him being as confused, it's just normal that he doesn't know, but his girlfriend looking at it from an outside point of view realizes it immediately. And the writers feelings are transported very well, too. In the very end, you feel his sadness and loneliness, and you are able to connect the things you read in the letters to the person. The acting is in general just great! And I love that the whole film is packed of small details and hints and unexplained but understandable things and unspoken reactions and actions, I hate it when it's all to obvious and clumsy!And even the flashbacks, which is often used very badly and unfittingly or just halfway, is done well! I would have liked to see how the whole thing in the army turned out, how it affected him today, but well, the flashback thing still made sense. the only thing that's a little weird is how the writer could get all the information he has about Boaz.