Sally Potter has always been a bit of an acquired taste, her compulsion to experiment tending to impress and off-put in equal measure. After a disastrous dip in the mainstream with 2000s The Man Who Cried, Yes represents something of a return to form. Certainly, shes back to her unconventional old self, penning the dialogue for this intriguing response to 9/11 almost entirely in verse a risky ploy which thankfully pays off, allowing her characters to deliver lines that would sound wildly overdone in normal prose.
The themes of Yes are weighty matters of cultural politics and sexual etiquette, and lead actress Joan Allen bears the burden admirably. Allen is one of the best actresses around, but her turn here, as a scientist whose sterile world crumbles when she falls for Simon Abkarians charismatic doctor-turned-cook, is stunning even by her standards. Shes matched every step of the way by Abkarian in his first significant Western role; their scenes are sometimes filthy, sometimes funny, but always involving.
Unfortunately, not all of the film is so consistent. The subplots concerning Allens family and friends lack vitality, but the real false notes are struck by Potters shaky, slo-mo-infected over-direction. Yes didnt need such trickery she should have had more faith in her excellent actors and superb script.