Yes as a Mirror: Nadav Lapid’s Unflinching Take on Israel

In this interview about Yes, Nadav Lapid argues that art must portray the perpetrators’ perspective to reveal the moral rot behind Israel’s violence, using Tel Aviv as a liberal bubble near Gaza. He outlines the film’s premise—Y, a musician, is hired to compose a national anthem after October 7 by a Russian billionaire and the government—as a vehicle to expose how so‑called “good Israelis” can enable genocide. Lapid also reflects on the responsibility of Israeli filmmakers, the danger of reductive anger, and the hope that art can illuminate truth amid crisis.