Ever heard somebody say, “Yo, man, that movie really fucked me up.”? Yes? No? Well, anyway, Big Bad Wolves will fuck you up, and I mean that in the best possible way. Assuming you’re not easily distracted by subtitles and you’re the type that gets off on peeking through veiled fingers, Big Bad Wolves‘ll skin ya good. The movie, an Israeli suspense thriller, peels back like an onion, forcing an increased emotional response the deeper – and more pungent – it gets.

Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Aharon Keshales, Wolves comes masquerading as a morality play – cerebral enough to achieve obfuscation, fast and loose enough to provide an occasional laugh. Tzahi Grad is Oscar-worthy, as is the screenplay, brimming with indictment. The climax lingers on, but only after it’s achieved heart-pounding impact, the tension tuned so high that one could pluck it like a wire. Keshales does just that, time and time again, which is why Big Bad Wolves will fuck you up, and I mean that in the fiercest way.

(Big Bad Wolves arrives in limited release this Friday.)