Pastry dough is far from the only thing that requires — and duly receives — delicate handling in THE CAKEMAKER. This tender, tactile and just-sweet-enough story of hidden love, challenged faith and unwittingly shared grief marks an auspicious feature debut for Israeli writer-director Ofir Raul Graizer.

Tracing with exemplary sensitivity the unlikely bond formed between a gay German baker and the Jerusalem-based widow of the man they both loved, Graizer’s film works a complex range of social and religious tensions into its heartsore narrative, without ever feeling sanctimonious or button-pushing. (VARIETY)