Movie with Abe: All That Breathes

One of this year's most acclaimed documentaries “All That Breathes,” didn't wow me but still has plenty of thought-provoking content. I reviewed the film for ShockYa - head over there to read my review.

Movie with Abe: The Territory

One of this year's best documentaries, “The Territory,” comes to National Geographic and Disney+ this week. I reviewed the film for AwardsWatch - head over there to read my review.

DOC NYC with Abe: Louis Armstrong's Black and Blues

Now streaming on Apple TV+, the comprehensive documentary “Louis Armstrong's Black and Blues” is also on the DOC NYC Short List. I reviewed the film for CinemaDailyUS.com - head over there to read my review.

Movie with Abe: Everything Everywhere All at Once

I'm very late to the party, but “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is one of the best movies of the year. I reviewed the film for ShockYa - head over there to read my review.

Movie with Abe: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

I'm so happy to have finally seen “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” which is a pure delight. I reviewed the film for ShockYa - head over there to read my review.

Weekend Movie Recommendations with Abe

Every Friday, I'll be uploading a Minute with Abe: Weekend Movie Recommendations Edition, surveying new releases in theaters, on DVD, and on streaming services. Check it out, and subscribe to the movieswithabe channel!

New to Theaters: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, White Noise
New to DVD: Bros, Hold Me Tight, The Good House
New to Netflix: The Swimmers, The Boxtrolls
New to Prime Video: Good Night Oppy, Cyrano
New to Hulu: Dual

Movie with Abe: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

While it's not quite as good as the original film, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” now playing in theaters, is a sequel that still delivers. I reviewed the film for ShockYa - head over there to read my review.

DOC NYC with Abe: Closed Circuit

The DOC NYC entry “Closed Circuit” presents a powerful look back at a terrorist attack captured on surveillance cameras. I reviewed the film for ShockYa - head over there to read my review.

Movie with Abe: Disenchanted

“Disenchanted,” now streaming on Disney+, is a fun sequel to 2007's “Enchanted.” I reviewed the film for CinemaDailyUS.com - head over there to read my review.

Interview with Abe: Women Talking

I had a superb conversation with cinematographer Luc Montpellier about one of the best movies of the year, “Women Talking,” opening December 2nd. Check out the interview at Below the Line.

Movie with Abe: The People We Hate at the Wedding

“The People We Hate at the Wedding,” now streaming on Prime Video, is a light but enjoyable dysfunctional family comedy. I reviewed the film for CinemaDailyUS.com - head over there to read my review.

Weekend Movie Recommendations with Abe

Every Friday, I'll be uploading a Minute with Abe: Weekend Movie Recommendations Edition, surveying new releases in theaters, on DVD, and on streaming services. Check it out, and subscribe to the movieswithabe channel!

New to Theaters: The Inspection, The Menu, She Said, 200 Meters, Bones and All
New to Theaters and VOD: There There
New to DVD and VOD: Three Thousand Years of Longing
New to DVD: Sharp Stick, Jerry and Marge Go Large, Queen of Glory
New to Netflix: The Wonder
New to Prime Video: The People We Hate at the Wedding
New to Hulu: Catch the Fair One, My Old School, The Forgiven
New to Disney+: Disenchanted

Movie with Abe: Argentina, 1985

“Argentina, 1985,” streaming on Prime Video, is Argentina's official Oscar entry this year. I reviewed the film for The Film Experience - head over there to read my review.

DOC NYC with Abe: January 6th

“January 6th,” screening at DOC NYC and coming to discovery+ on January 5th, is a very worthwhile and informative look at a horrifying day. I reviewed the film for AwardsWatch - head over there to read my review.

DOC NYC with Abe: The Return of Tanya Tucker - Featuring Brandi Carlile

In addition to currently playing in theaters, “The Return of Tanya Tucker - Featuring Brandi Carlile” is also on the DOC NYC Short List. I reviewed the film for CinemaDailyUS.com - head over there to read my review.

Interview with Abe: The Estate

I had a great conversation with cinematographer Darin Marin about his work on “The Estate,” which is now playing in theaters. Check out the interview at Below the Line.

DOC NYC with Abe: Maya and the Wave

This year's opening night film at DOC NYC is “Maya and the Wave,” about surfer Maya Gabeira. I reviewed the film for CinemaDailyUS.com - head over there to read my review.

Weekend Movie Recommendations with Abe

Every Friday, I'll be uploading a Minute with Abe: Weekend Movie Recommendations Edition, surveying new releases in theaters, on DVD, and on streaming services. Check it out, and subscribe to the movieswithabe channel!

New to Theaters: The Fabelmans, The Swimmers, The Son, Homebody
New to DVD: I Love My Dad, The Power of the Dog
New to Netflix: Captain Phillips
New to Prime Video and Hulu: Warm Bodies
New to Disney+: Fire of Love

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: Lady Amar

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

Lady Amar
Directed by Yigael Sachs and Noam Gil
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The loss of mental capacity typically comes at a point that it’s no longer possible to recognize that change for the person in question. They may believe that they are lucid and aware of what is happening around them, yet the way in which they communicate their perception of reality indicates that’s not the case. Memory loss and confusion can often set in and lead to someone mistaking others for figures from their past and, at times, believing themselves to be someone else. “Lady Amar” explores one woman’s disassociation from her identity and how that affects her three adult children.

A woman (Orly Tabaly) is picked up off the street at night and brought into a house. She insists to her apparent abductors that she is Pauline Weiss, a high-powered woman who does not belong in a place like this and should be freed immediately. Those around her attempt to persuade her that they are her children: Israel (Itzik Golan), Yarden (Liz Rabian), and Levanon (Victor Sabag), and all she needs to do to remember them is to take her medicine. She appreciates that they think she is their mother but continues to repeat what she believes is the truth, that she is not the woman that they think she is.

As the sole narrative selection at this year’s Other Israel Film Festival, “Lady Amar” represents a different kind of journey. Pauline, whose children tell her she is Jacqueline Amar, comments multiple times that she has nothing against Moroccan immigrants, as if her position is one that makes her evolved and compassionate. But instead it reveals a buried self-hatred and embarrassment of her own heritage that manifests itself when she takes on a new identity, newly able to comment on how she sees herself since she, in that moment, isn’t Moroccan and enjoys a different kind of existence within Israeli society.

The way in which Jacqueline, as Pauline, talks down to and invalidates her children who are pleading with her to do what they say she most needs is painful to watch, and those who have experienced relatives suffering through dementia and other degenerative diseases will surely find this film even more difficult and honest. It’s amplified by the fact that Pauline appears perfectly healthy and competent, with her affliction affecting only her perception of who she is and not her physical health. Understanding that she is suffering from something else is a rollercoaster process enhanced by strong performances from all four cast members. This portrait of lost identity is stirring and haunting, effectively channeling the often miserable process of degenerative aging.

B+

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: The Forgotten Ones

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

The Forgotten Ones
Directed by Michale Boganim
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It’s dispiriting but sadly not surprising to learn that discrimination is a universal concept that isn’t unique to any one country or situation. The establishment of Israel as a haven for the Jewish people in the aftermath of the Holocaust should have been a welcome call for Jews from all over the world, particularly places in which they still faced persecution, to come to somewhere that would accept them as they are. Yet the experience of Mizrahi Jews coming from North Africa and the Middle East was considerably colder and dominated by a condescending division from their European counterparts.

Filmmaker Michale Boganim looks at her own family as a key instance of this reality, charting her father’s arrival to Israel from Morocco and the treatment he faced. The founding of the Israeli Black Panthers and their perception of a similar situation within the United States at the same moment is central to his legacy, along with the response of the Israeli government to what they saw as an undesirable and potentially dangerous community not worthy of their attention, and certainly not of the respect for which they were advocating.

It’s interesting to see how, in many cases, the Mizrahi Jews who have come from predominantly Arab countries find themselves living peacefully alongside their Arab neighbors since that’s something they were all used to back home. Seeing a common ally, some advocate that Arabic should be taught just like English in school, while others seek to distance themselves from Arabs since they believe that makes them stand out even more, eager instead to be accepted and perceived as just as Jewish or Israeli as those of European descent.

Among the themes explored in this documentary is the idea that there are devoutly religious Mizrahi Jews who are still not seen as equal to those with lighter skin, and the discrimination they experience is often veiled as something less toxic and covered up with excuses. It’s a disturbing and compelling subject that was also dramatized in “The Unorthodox” and is very much worthy of a spotlight, and Boganim strongly surveys the ways in which this has come to permeate and define Israeli society. Tracing this phenomenon from its roots to how it continues to manifest in today’s world is often unpleasant but clearly important and worthwhile. It’s both a specific case study and one that audiences from anywhere should have no trouble finding a way to comprehend and find relatable.

B+

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: The Last Chapter of A.B. Yehoshua

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

The Last Chapter of A.B. Yehoshua
Directed by Yair Qedar
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It’s always enlightening to watch a film about an author, since the two mediums are inherently different and fans of a writer’s work aren’t necessarily used to seeing the person behind their beloved words as a living and breathing person. In the case of A.B. Yehoshua, an acclaimed Israeli writer who passed away this past June at the age of eighty-five, his cinematic biography provides a wondrous and welcome window into the life of a man who famously didn’t want any identity and enjoyed a remarkably warm relationship with many different communities.

Accomplished filmmaker Yair Qedar has profiled many Israeli authors in the past, and Yehoshua seems perfectly pleased to be his latest - and possibly greatest - subject. Born in 1936 in what was then British Mandatory Palestine, Yehoshua came of age seeing his native-born father enjoy good relations with Arabs as the country of Israel was established. The relationship between his father and his Moroccan immigrant mother is something he returns frequently to as a negative example of old age because they did not love each other, while he is still processing the death of his own wife.

Yehoshua is well aware of his situation and his declining health, commenting that all of his friends are dead and that he feels as if he’s left standing guard with a rifle. Yet that doesn’t stop him from continuing to share his work with eager young minds and prominent leaders. He gets a call from former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, whom he describes as a good friend, and then is enthusiastically welcomed by a Palestinian group that appreciates his call for a productive solution to the current conflict. He’s a rare figure who is seen as an ally to many people and groups with theoretically incongruent goals, yet he rejects any label or attempt to pigeonhole him into an identity that may be applicable but doesn’t serve him any productive purpose.

This film uses animated backdrops to highlight excerpts from Yehoshua’s books that provide a brief glimpse into the themes he returned to and help his words come alive for those unfamiliar with his work. This buoyant and engaging documentary has added poignancy due to Yehoshua’s death ahead of this screening, framing this as a properly-titled last chapter in which Yehoshua himself has the chance to have the final say on what he thinks of his legacy.

B+

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: The Samaritans: A Biblical People

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

The Samaritans: A Biblical People
Directed by Moshe Alafi
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It’s easy to think of Israel as a country containing Jews, Muslims, and Christians, but there are still other religions that lay claim to the historical land as a holy and important one. One of the most fascinating are the Samaritans, who describe themselves not as Israeli or Palestinian, but rather as their own religion of 800-something people, still existing after many years and practicing their own customs deeply rooted in tradition and only partially influenced by tensions with modernity.

Filmmaker Moshe Alafi zeroes in on a number of members of the Samaritan religion, who have their own Torah, their own Shabbat, and their own unique rituals, like a physical Passover sacrifice which has deep meaning for all involved. Prominently featured is the cantor, who plans to have his son take over for him in the future and who has his own ideas for how to keep the religion alive, as well as one man who is traveling to Ukraine, a frequent place for men to find wives who are willing to convert into the religion, which has an insular community that does not otherwise typically turn outward to welcome in new adherents.

It’s remarkably interesting to learn about the aspects of the Samaritan faith that may remind many of their own devout religions, and whose members, particularly those who have chosen to join from Ukraine, seem to know might strike an uneducated viewer as unusual. Among the most startling is a custom of unplugging refrigerators and not using air conditioning on Shabbat, something that those interviewed acknowledged is not universally observed due to the incredible heat that can become unbearable.

The honesty and openness with which the interviewees speak is refreshing, particularly because they are not intending to proselytize or to bring anyone else in to the religion. A plan to convert thousands of eager future followers in Brazil involves a caveat that they will remain separate to learn how to be proper Samaritans and not dilute the original, ever-shrinking sect. There is a pride that all featured share about something they consider fulfilling, and like any religion or culture, there are bound to be pieces that aren’t entirely ideal. This is an informative, invigorating look into a faith that has survived for centuries and faces similar challenges to so many other movements, but clearly benefits from a strong bond from its members to its defining tenets.

B+

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: The Devil’s Drivers

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

The Devil’s Drivers
Directed by Daniel Carsenty and Mohammed Abugeth
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Borders are a complicated matter, especially in a place where the division between two lands isn’t always clear and is disputed. It’s unlikely that a film about those who smuggle Mexican people into the United States through Texas or Arizona would get made since the two countries are firmly established and those crossing wouldn’t argue that they aren’t breaking the law. But for Palestinians coming into Israel, this subject is apparently something that can be filmed and celebrated, painting its protagonists as soldiers in a fight for free access.

Hamouda and Ismail are Bedouin Palestinians who live in the West Bank along the southern border of Israel, where the boundary wall has yet to be constructed and therefore provides easier access for them to use to their advantage. They know that they must operate in an aggressively attentive and constantly-changing way, since previously safe routes can at any point become untenable and they could be arrested if other drivers opt to cooperate with the Israeli army and turn them in rather than go to prison themselves.

“The Devil’s Drivers” makes the argument, conveyed passionately by its two lead subjects, that they have no choice but to do this work since there is no other way to provide for their families. They express how the Israelis go to great lengths to put roadblocks in their way and take punitive measures to discourage them from remaining involved in smuggling efforts. When one of them is arrested after declining a phone call from two people who subsequently committed a terrorist attack in Israel, they bemoan the unfair treatment that they have received. They do seem aware of the reality - that they evade capture 99.9% of the time but then get punished for everything the one time they do get caught - but still find any sort of consequence unjust because this is their only choice.

Stylistically, this film does enhance its storytelling with animation to chronicle the multiple uprisings by Palestinians that resulted in heightened security and a decrease in permission mobility for Hamouda, Ismail, and their families. They know things might be safer for them if they stopped driving, but they also believe they must continue to have some hope of a fulfilling existence for those they love. Ultimately, this portrait feels problematic due to the way in which it disregards the illegality of its subjects’ work, excusing it as acceptable because of the situation and then expressing indignation when they are targeted by those monitoring a border that is most definitely not secure.

B-

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: Razzouk Tattoo

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

Razzouk Tattoo
Directed by Orit Ofir Ronell
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While much of the conversation about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict centers on Jews and Muslims, there is also another significant religious population that has deep ties to the land: Christians. Among those Christians who have lived in Jerusalem for centuries is the Razzouk family, renowned for the tattoos they have etched onto pilgrims visiting a holy place. The heir to the dynasty, Wassim Razzouk, knows the art but still has plenty of questions about his own lineage and what may have been lost over the course of family disputes.

Wassim is seen mostly either in his tattoo parlor speaking to American visitors who are interested in getting a tattoo or on the go attempting to get answers to the holes in his history that he seeks to fill. He explains to one inquisitive customer that he has two sons but that he expects only one of them to follow him in the family business, noting that teenagers are also fickle and may have no idea what it is they will want in the future. He also knows the dangers of working with close relatives, something that has caused rifts in previous generations of his family.

Director Orit Ofir Ronell, whose first film “The King of Börek” dug into her own ancestors, Bulgarian bakers, manages to extract a great deal of information from Wassim and his surviving family members. They discuss rumors of how one parent might have killed another, and how that gossip still remains years later when they go to speak with influential figures who Wassim and his cousin believe may be able to provide some of the crucial clues to piece together where things went wrong and how they can retrieve what may have gone missing, if it’s even still possible to reclaim.

“Razzouk Tattoo” exposes a facet of Israeli society that is inherently religious but retains a different bond to Jerusalem and Israel that its adherents express most intensely in what the marks they make on their skin, something that is typically forbidden by both Jewish and Muslim law. Wassim exists in a bubble of sorts, operating freely but also lacking a groundswell of support that could ensure the survival of his business and the historical meaning that comes with it for generations. This documentary provides an intimate look at someone whose work truly is his passion, a vibrant instance of someone whose craft is also his life.

B+

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: Dead Sea Guardians

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

Dead Sea Guardians
Directed by Ido Glass and Yoav Kleinman
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The best way to unite people who are inherently at odds is to find a common cause that isn’t necessarily related to what it is that divides them. In the case of the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the recession and gradual decline of the Dead Sea is one such issue. “Dead Sea Guardians” represents a rare and welcome uplifting approach to cooperation, following the joint efforts of an Israeli, a Palestinian, and a Jordanian to raise awareness about the dire situation of the Dead Sea.

The three protagonists of “Dead Sea Guardians” come from very different backgrounds. Israeli Oded Rahav, Palestinian Yussuf Matari, and Jordanian Munqeth Meyhar meet and agree to work together to plan a swim across the Dead Sea to show the world that saving this body of water is one of the most crucial action items of our time. They seek to invite swimmers from all across the world to help bring more attention to their environmental cause, but what remains most important, particularly for Rahav, the initial organizer, is that all three of the primary swimmers are involved and make that extremely meaningful journey in friendship on behalf of their nations.

While the Dead Sea is internationally well-known, the dire state of the lowest place in the world is not nearly as prominently-discussed. Rahav and Meyhar both deliver well-researched presentations about why this is happening and what specific steps by all three countries can be taken in order to counteract the damage and try to save the sea before it is no longer possible. Visual aids throughout the film help to illustrate the grandeur of the situation and to show how the symbolic task that Rahav, Matari, and Meyhar are setting out to accomplish will encourage people to learn more about what they can do to help the cause.

There are obstacles that present themselves in the run-up to the big day, including bureaucratic hold-ups that prioritize other items and preemptively expect a lack of cooperation from other governments. While Matari expresses few reservations about teaming up with Rahav, Meyhar mentions that his wife is Palestinian and that she has no desire to participate, skipping a get-together of the families of the swimmers that shows the enthusiasm Matari and Rahav’s entourages have for this effort and particularly for their swimmers. The documentary’s cinematography aids in the overall effect of the film, which manages to convey the passion of its subjects and the call to action they are so energetically transmitting.

B+

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: H2: The Occupation Lab

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

H2: The Occupation Lab
Directed by Idit Avrahami and Noam Sheizaf
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While there are many subjects probed in the films selected for the Other Israel Film Festival, one of them stands out most: the experience of the Palestinian people living under Israeli occupation. Just as there are many justifications for Israel’s existence and the need for security that make it difficult to enact an equitable society that affords all people the same privileges, it is also a reality that the Palestinians live under occupation. “H2: The Occupation Lab” looks at one city, Hebron, as a model for how Israel continues and evolves the system that it has set up.

This documentary provides a comprehensive history of the city of Hebron and its multi-religion significance due to the presence of the Cave of the Patriarchs. It charts the establishment of Israel as a county in 1948 and the entry of the army into the territory. Its beginnings are surprising cooperative, with government figures like Moshe Dayan and Shimon Peres intent on supporting a mayor they think would be best for the community, though ultimately the incumbent, Muhamad 'Ali al-Ja'bari, is replaced by Fahad Qawasimi, who is later deported by the Israeli government following an outbreak of violence.

It’s that catalyst which takes center stage in this disturbing chronicle of events, particularly in how the Palestinian population bore the brunt of the punishment for violence of which they were in some cases the victims. The 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs Massacre, in which an extremist Jewish settler killed 29 Muslims and injured many more while they were in prayer, was a horrific event that resulted in a lockdown of Palestinian residents rather than the Jewish settlers to whose community the murderous perpetrator belonged.

Additionally, this film makes a clear case for the problematic nature of settlement expansion. The arrival of Jews in Hebron begins with them returning to a specific area of the city, and at one point women and children take over the former Hadassah House to establish a Jewish presence in that part of the city, and remain unchallenged, thereby turning their temporary occupation into a permanent one. Jewish heritage tours of the area focus on the 1929 massacre of Jews, while Palestinian Human Rights tours emphasize that guides can’t even return to their lifelong homes and must pass through twenty-two checkpoints that exist within the city boundaries. This film underlines and accepts that there are always multiple narratives, but this presentation makes an extremely harrowing defense for the need for change based on how this example currently stands.

B+

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: The Soldier’s Opinion

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

The Soldier’s Opinion
Directed by Assaf Banitt
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Security is of paramount concern when it comes to any organization that relies on secrecy for its successful operation. That’s especially true of military bodies. Yet it’s been well-established, especially in recent years, that there are rampant issues that exist within armies, and there is much work to be done to make them both functional and healthy for those that serve within them. “The Soldier’s Opinion” tackles one particular facet of the Israeli army that is problematic: the censoring of soldiers’ letters and the use of private information to build intelligence reports on those same soldiers.

In his second documentary about the Israeli army, filmmaker Assaf Banitt gains extraordinary access to a number of people with tremendous insight into both sides of this process. He speaks to those who worked within the censorship office as they recount their memories of examining letters and getting to know the soldiers as if they were friends, recognizing their words and the relationships they had with the intended recipients of the letters. He also has several soldiers who look back at their own letters and recall how much has changed and how they can still remember the sentiments they felt at the time that they penned the letters.

Along with this probe of a system used to gather intelligence and project an image of strength, “The Soldier’s Opinion” addresses the evolution of technology and how the department that is the focus of the film no longer exists in the same way since the advent of the cellphone. Yet the idea is still the same, and there are varying perspectives offered by the censors about whether they should have done things differently or if they realized at the time that they were potentially acting in an unethical way, even if they were simply following orders.

While this study is specifically about the Israeli military, it’s surely applicable to a number of armies and government organizations across the world. How much a soldier is merely an extension of the army is a serious question, one that should be considered, along with the ethics of keeping everything covert, even problematic reports, despite security concerns. There are few answers to be found within Babbitt’s probe, but there is much information to be shared and pondered, all leading back to the same crucial source: the soldiers themselves.

B+

Other Israel Film Festival: A Reel War: Shalal

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

A Reel War: Shalal
Directed by Karnit Mandel
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One of the most emphasized aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the need for Palestinians to have the right to self-determination. Part of that involves understanding a people’s history, something that may be difficult given the occupation that Palestinians have been under for the past seventy-four years. “A Reel War: Shalal” examines one facet of that: the possession of footage belonging to the Palestinian Liberation Organization that was seized by Israel in 1982 and has yet to be returned.

There are many interesting questions that emerge throughout this documentary as filmmaker Karnit Mandel experiences roadblock after roadblock to even get through to someone in the archives department to confirm that this footage even still exists. The many people involved in archive work interviewed all argue that there is no reason for these reels to be kept by Israel as they represent a crucial part of the Palestinian legacy, something that should be rightfully held by those with that heritage and which should serve no use for the Israeli army or government.

Much of the footage that is available shows young children and the way things used to be, and it’s understandable that Mandel and others would push for that to be available for her and for others to whom it would have great meaning. Yet it pushes up against an oft-cited obstacle that dates back to 1982 and much before that, to a point where the Palestinian Liberation Organization was an enemy combatant of Israel, and there is a legitimate fear that handing over that footage could have dangerous consequences for the security of Israel.

Yet this film posits a poignant argument that there is no reason for this footage to remain inaccessible and confidential, reducing any concerns about it being used for anything other than to recover a lost history which can strengthen a people struggling to find an identity in their current state. There is also a striking parallel to much of what is longed for in Jewish history in Israel, a people whose history with the land dates back centuries and who only recently have been able to return in a welcome way. As is often the case with Other Israel Film Festival selections, it’s most stirring to hear from Israelis who have changed their opinions throughout the years on what is censored and kept out of reach, or who may have always felt that more transparency should exist, and feel perfectly comfortable speaking out now in a film like this.

B

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: 1341 Frames of Love and War

I’m delighted to be returning for the eighth time to cover the Other Israel Film Festival, which features a diverse crop of thought-provoking and often difficult, complex, Israeli and Palestinian cinema and is hosted by the JCC Manhattan. The 16th Annual Other Israel Film Festival runs virtually and in-person November 3rd-10th, 2022.

1341 Frames of Love and War
Directed by Ran Tal
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It’s interesting to see movies made about the art of photographs since the two mediums are inherently very different. One affords the opportunity to see people move and hear them speak, while the other captures a specific moment in time, leaving its meaning to be interpreted based only on what can be seen within it. Reflecting back on photographs long after they have been taken can be especially rewarding, because memory fades and brings with it an ability to look back and consider the circumstances of a photo being taken and what additional significance it has gained in that time.

Micha Bar-Am’s collection of photographs, captured over the course of half a century, are the subject of “1341 Frames of Love and War.” The film is composed almost exclusively of the pictures on screen accompanied by Bar-Am and his wife Orna speaking about them. There are some instances in which director Ran Tal asks him questions and he responds “don’t ask me about it” either because he doesn’t think it’s interesting or he doesn’t want to think back and dwell on it, and it’s not always clear whether or not there’s more to the story or if he merely just wishes to move on to something more significant in his mind.

Some of Bar-Am’s photos have become extremely well-known within Israel and other places, and there’s one in particular that finds both Bar-Am and Orna reflecting on how he had felt about it and how he now sees it in a different context. Soldiers looking at the Israeli flag on the Dome of the Rock in 1967 and a soldier wearing an ammunition belt that looks like a tallit (prayer shawl) might to many convey the triumphant return of the Jewish people to a historical land, but instead now remind him only of the connection between religion and power that he sees as potentially problematic and negatively influential in society.

While the content of Bar-Am’s collection, which is shown in great detail throughout this documentary’s ninety minutes, speaks for itself and might be fascinating enough merely shown in slideshow form with no commentary. But it’s hearing from the artist himself, who is now ninety-two years old, that adds a considerable dimension and power to it, along with his wife’s perspective on how it has shaped him. The discussions of how memory adjusts to photographs rather than the other way around are extremely compelling, and Tal approaches his subject and his work in an eager and inviting fashion, allowing him to share as much of himself as he is willing.

B+

Weekend Movie Recommendations with Abe

Every Friday, I'll be uploading a Minute with Abe: Weekend Movie Recommendations Edition, surveying new releases in theaters, on DVD, and on streaming services. Check it out, and subscribe to the movieswithabe channel!

New to Theaters: Good Night Oppy, Black Notebooks: Ronit, The Wonder, The Estate
New to Theaters and Apple TV+: Causeway
New to DVD: Top Gun: Maverick, Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul
New to Netflix: The Sessions, Talk to Her
New to Prime Video: My Policeman, Fruitvale Station
New to Roku: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Other Israel Film Festival Spotlight: Cinema Sabaya

I had the chance to speak with director Orit Fouks Rotem about her film “Let It Be Morning,” which is screening at the Other Israel Film Festival and serves as Israel's official Oscar submission for Best International Film Festival. Watch my great conversation with her for The Film Experience below!

 

Movie with Abe: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” coming to The Roku Channel tomorrow, is a wild and entertaining parody of Weird Al Yankovic's life. I reviewed the film for CinemaDailyUS.com - head over there to read my review.

Interview with Abe: Shlomi Elkabetz

I had the chance to see “Black Notebooks: Ronit," an intriguing documentary made by filmmaker Shlomi Elkabetz about his sister and frequent collaborator Ronit, highlighted particularly by their work on the spectacular “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem.” I was fortunate to be able to speak with Shlomi about the project and his relationship with the late Ronit. Watch the full interview below, and see “Black Notebooks: Ronit” in theaters starting this Friday!