YNOT at the Movies

Israeli writer-director Nadav Lapid's provocative "Yes" (כן | France/Cyprus/Germany/Israel 2026 | in Hebrew/English/Russian | 150 min.) came to Cannes' Directors' Fortnight with considerable ambition and a genuinely timely premise. Set in the aftermath of October 7, the film follows Y. (Ariel Bronz), a jazz musician, and his wife Yasmin (Efrat Dor), a dancer, as they surrender themselves, body, soul, and art, to Israel's wealthy and powerful elite, including a globe-spanning Russian billionaire (Alexey Serebryakov), eventually tasked with composing a new national anthem of vengeful, aggressively anti-Gaza sentiment. It is a bold satirical concept, and a pointed critique of how artists and institutions alike fell into line behind the Israeli government's wartime agenda. One can appreciate what Lapid is reaching for, even if the film ultimately struggles to bring a wider audience along with it.

From the opening minutes, Nadav Lapid signals that conventional storytelling is not his priority. The camera moves with restless, dizzying energy, and the soundscape is deliberately overwhelming, designed to leave viewers feeling unmoored. This is a conscious artistic decision, and there is a certain integrity to that commitment. Whether it translates into a rewarding experience, however, will depend enormously on what you are looking for from a film.

Those hoping for a clear narrative thread may find themselves adrift. The movie moves freely between musical sequences, satirical set pieces, and moments of genuine provocation, with little interest in traditional story logic. Y. is written as a passive figure who composes rather than speaks and submits rather than resists, while Yasmin channels her own complicity through movement and dance. As a thematic statement about artistic complicity in wartime, this makes sense. As a viewing experience across two and a half hours, it asks a great deal of patience from its audience.

There are genuine highlights here. The film's musical tragedy elements have real energy, and film brings an undeniable visual boldness to several sequences. Naama Preis as Leah, Y.'s former lover and arguably the film's only true voice, offers a grounded and compelling performance that stands apart from the surrounding chaos. These moments hint at what a slightly more disciplined version of this film might have achieved.

Ultimately, this is a work that prioritises ideology and sensation over connection. Nadav Lapid's anger at the state of modern Israel is sincere and deeply felt, and that sincerity deserves acknowledgment. But a film that intentionally disorients, shocks, and withholds narrative coherence will find only a narrow audience willing to meet it fully on its own terms.

"Yes" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area theaters on Friday, April 10, 2026.