This movie is so fucking Russian. Like Dostoyevsky levels of Russian. Like just short of a fallen noblewoman driving her shoeless children through the snow, singing the songs she recited at court. It feels like a play. You know, the ones called Winter, and you’re just waiting for everyone to get tuberculosis. With the feel…
Shalom Taiwan is a real heartwarmer. A rabbi’s temple is about to be foreclosed on in the latest financial crisis, and his usual round of donation-pleading to wealthy Americans falls on deaf ears, as they too feel the pinch. In his desperation, he follows a connection to Taiwan, where he tries everything to raise the…
That was great! Oh, that was so much fun. Shira decides to marry Maria after a whirlwind romance, but the path of true love never did run smooth. They’re still getting to know each other really, and virgin-til-now Maria isn’t exactly delighted to find out Shira is a mad shagger who’s been through half the…
That was absolutely fascinating. Our Natural Right brings together the grandchildren of the founders who signed the Declaration of Independence, establishing the nation of Israel. It takes them through the document and asks whether the vision enshrined within it has been achieved, or if it has been let down, or if it contained within it…
Ooft! The opening credits weren’t even over and I was like, “Oh, I’m gonna greet at this.” Truus Wijsmuller was a Dutch woman who was named Righteous Among Nations for saving 10,000 children from the Nazis. It began when Jews were fleeing Germany, they began leaving their children at the border with Holland, hoping their…
Really struggled to get through this. Kept stopping and starting and walking away from this. Couldn’t stand watching this murderous bastard shrug off or chortle over the death of women and children at his hands. I know he’s meant to be a controversial figure, but I think controversial is a word that should be reserved…
Really interesting documentary looking into the history of the kibbutz. Now, before seeing this, I had only a vague notion about what a kibbutz was like, combining ideas of settler colonies, summer camps, and hippy communes. Having now watched this film, you see the great range of kibbutz experiences, and how they changed over time.…
The vast majority of the action of The Unword takes place in an after-school parent-teacher conference, like a bottle episode. I was delighted to find it was really funny, despite being about the grim subject of antisemitic bullying. All the humour and drama unfolds as pompous, self-assured school officials sit down to put the world…