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Nadav Lapid’s Yes! Lands in Theaters With Scalding Satire of Israeli Power

Critics say its confrontational satire forces a reckoning over culture’s role in wartime Israel.

Overview

  • New reviews tied to the film’s release describe a ferocious portrait of complicity inside Israel’s cultural and political elite.
  • The story follows Y, a jazz pianist, and Yasmin, a dancer, who perform for the rich and face a lucrative offer to craft a new nationalist anthem.
  • The proposed lyrics draw on an altered version of Haim Gouri’s 1949 poem The Brotherhood that resurfaced during the Gaza war.
  • Nadav Lapid shot scenes near the Gaza border during active operations and captured smoke on the horizon, and some crew quit after learning of the film’s critique.
  • The film played Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2025 and is now drawing denunciations in Israel and caution from international distributors.