Filmmaker Lapid's 'Yes' Shakes Souls Amidst Chaos

Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid's new film, 'Yes,' released in select US cinemas on Friday, aims to deliver a profound emotional impact on audiences. Lapid hopes the movie will 'shake people's souls.' The film, a chaotic satire, depicts a young couple in Tel Aviv leading a double life, raising a child by day and attending wild fetish parties for the wealthy by night.

This routine devolves into a search for identity and meaning when the musician partner is commissioned to write a patriotic anthem. Lapid began writing the script before the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, making only minor adjustments afterward. He believes the initial script already depicted a society on the brink of moral collapse.

The director suggests the film uses Israel as a backdrop to explore a broader global sense of chaos. He identifies a creeping worldwide trend of 'vulgarity, nationalism and authoritarianism,' and a society 'worshiping only power and money.'

'Yes' delves into the pervasive emotion of fear, with the protagonist's response being an unresisting acceptance, symbolized by saying 'yes.' Lapid notes this reflects a common human desire for belonging and reassurance, even as it can lead one to 'dance with the devil.'