Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Sublet is a gay drama about a New York Times travel writer visiting Tel Aviv who forms a friendship with the young man whose apartment he’s subletting.
Michael (John Benjamin Hickey) is a middle-aged gay man who travels to Tel Aviv for five days to write a travel column for the New York Times. He made plans to sublet an apartment from Tomer (Niv Nissim), a young film student, for his stay. When Michael arrives, he finds that Tomer had the days confused and thought he was arriving the following day. Michael decides to stay at a hotel, but Tomer explains that he can pack up quick, and that he really needs the money. Michael agrees and spends his first night in a messy apartment that still has the previous tenant’s belongings.
The next day Michael finds out that Tomer is crashing at friends’ apartments, so he tells Tomer that he can stay with him if he shows him the city. And as Tomer takes Michael to the non-tourist areas of Tel Aviv, the two men get to know each other and form a friendship. And that is what the movie is about.
Some Thoughts:
Sublet is a buddy movie that touches on the generation gap between two gay men. The acting is decent, as are the visuals, and the dialog feels realistic. However, it doesn’t delve into specifics enough, so it often feels as if it’s only skimming the surface.
Michael’s relationship with his husband, David (Peter Spears), could have been explored a bit more. After Michael tells Tomer that he and David don’t have an open relationship, Tomer asks if they cheat. Michael seems unsure if David does, although Michael does not. It seems an odd response, and I would have liked to know a bit more about why he’s unsure of David’s fidelity. There’s also a bit about David wanting to have a child that comes into play, but never fully explored.
Both men make age-based assumptions about each other, only to realize that they’re wrong. This doesn’t mean the film veers away from stereotypes related to age, but it does try to dispel some of them.
The topic of sex comes up quite often, especially since Tomer is sexually adventurous. And since this is a movie about age gaps, the much-expected hookup app scene does come into play. It’s handled tastefully and felt realistic.
There’s a sweet twist near the end of the movie that’s hinted at a few times. It may not make up for some of the film’s faults, but it does make it worth watching.
The Final Verdict:
Sublet is a sweet movie about love and friendship between two gay men with about twenty years between them. It doesn’t have anything fresh or new to say, nor does it explore its subject deep enough, but the acting is good, and it’s well made.
