The Binding veers into heart-pounding thriller territory, which the first trailer makes clear, with Avinoam practicing “binding” in frightening and quite literal ways.But who really holds the power here? As the film leans into the tense, constantly shifting dynamics between these two men from different walks of life, it explores the intersections of faith and identity, love and obsession, trauma and true freedom.From writer-director Eyal Kantor, The Binding is the second of a planned trilogy exploring intimacy and loss through a gay lens.Kantor’s previous film, Like Me, also happened to star Yoav Keren as a young man trying to find his way through the world, falling into the dangerous orbit of an older man. Interestingly, in that story, Keren’s protagonist is an amateur model, and it seems he’s posed for some photos in The Binding, too.