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Yes At its most basic level Yes is a romantic story about an unhappily married woman who finds real love and passion with another man. Joan Allen and Simon Abkarian play the protagonists whose characters are know only as "She" and "He".
She is an American scientist; her husband Anthony (Sam Neill) is an English politician. They lead separate lives; unable to communicate with each other their marriage has become a charade. She meets He, a Lebanese man, at a restaurant. They agree to meet again.
What ensues is a passionate affair. He and She explore each other's secrets, hopes and desires. He was a surgeon in Lebanon but after an encounter with three gunmen he questioned his ability to remain a doctor and left the country to become a cook in a hotel in London.
Yes gradually develops into an examination of He and She's relationship with each and the people they work and live with - the relationship between a man and a woman, a husband and a wife, the West with the Middle East, Islam and Christianity.
She has a goddaughter called Grace (Stephanie Leonidas), a teenage girl who is extremely body-conscious. Their relationship is like a mother and daughter. She and Grace are able to talk openly with each other. This relationship is put into context when the film introduces Grace's mother Kate (Samantha Bond).
Kate and She are friends but there is a rivalry between them that She bemoans. During an internal monologue She asks herself the question why its they have to compete. Kate envies She's freedom to travel. Kate complains that she is unable to talk to her eldest daughter, Grace, because she locks herself in her bedroom.
The relationship between She and Anthony is fraught. Earlier in the film Anthony confides in Grace about his relationship with She. Anthony knows that Grace admires She and subtly tries to tarnish She's character. Anthony explains to Grace that he is not a cold person irrespective of what She has said. Grace re-tells this conversation with She who confronts Anthony about it.
He's relationship with the kitchen staff in the hotel appears cordial. His colleagues include Virgil (Wil Johnson), a Jamaican born-again Christian, who takes every opportunity during conversations to tell everyone about his journey back to Jesus. There is also Billy (Gary Lewis), who tries to be the voice of reason and Whizzer (Raymond Waring) a hot-headed Mancunian.
A discussion on religion leads to an altercation between He and Whizzer as prejudices about Islam emerge. He re-evaluates his affair with She and his view of the West following this incident. However, She is convinced, irrespective of their differences, that their relationship can prevail and asks He to join her in Cuba where they can have space to fully know each other.
The release of Yes was timely following the terrorist incidences in London in July 2005. The writer and director of Yes, Sally Potter, said that she wrote Yes after the attacks on 11 September. She said: "I felt an urgent need to respond to the rapid demonisation of the Arabic world in the West and the parallel wave of hatred against the United States."
Yes is an interesting exploration into relationships and people's perceptions of each other. The characters' dialogue is spoken in couplets, which adds a rich dimension to the characters' personalities and a rhythmic flow to the film. It is almost Shakespearean in tone and delivery.
Potter's direction is inventive, using a mixture of low angle shots, digital film, and slow staccato shots to create a film full of visual contrasts and moods. The performances were outstanding in particular Joan Allen who always has the good fortune to land challenging female roles to play.
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