Film review

Paul McCartney's 'Man on the Run' documentary brings viewers back to the 1970s - review

The documentary covers the period from 1970, when McCartney retreated to his bucolic ramshackle farm in Scotland and his first post-Beatles solo album, to 1980, when John Lennon was murdered.

|ByDAVID BRINN
AUL MCCARTNEY is the executive producer of a new documentary chronicling his first steps after The Beatles broke up.
A SCENE FROM A Pale View of Hills.

‘A Pale View of Hills’ is a pallid tale of post-war Japan - review

It’s an adaptation of the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, a Japanese-British novelist who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017, and it stars some of Japan’s best-loved actors.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
PHOTO OF Wagner Moura at a phone booth.

The Secret Agent, a gripping and gory film from Brazil, premieres in Israel

An opening title says that the film takes place in Brazil in 1977, during “a time of great mischief,” which turns out to be a playful understatement.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
DANA IVGY and Ben Sultan in ‘Oxygen.’

'Oxygen': Breaking taboos on Israeli mothers who cannot send sons to war - review

“It touched something in people who saw it, even outside of Israel,” said Netalie Braun, director of the movie 'Oxygen.' “I really hope that it will spark discussion."

|ByHANNAH BROWN

'Souleymane’s Story': A glance into the life of an African worker in Paris - film review

The new film paints a haunting portrait of one face behind all the headlines about immigration.

JANUARY 19, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
ABOU SANGARE in ‘Souleymane’s Story.’

'Why War': Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai's latest movie - review

The director attempts to answer the question "why war?" in an inventive way, by quoting from an exchange of letters between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud in the early 1930s.

JANUARY 8, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
A scene from the film ‘Why War.’

Jesse Eisenberg's 'A Real Pain' is a trip worth taking - review

Jesse Eisenberg's 'A Real Pain' is a poignant journey of grief, Jewish identity, and family bonds, blending humor and heart as two cousins navigate their past on a tour of Jewish history in Poland.

JANUARY 2, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
KIERAN CULKIN and Jesse Eisenberg (shown on right) in ‘A Real Pain.’

New film 'The Ring' traces a family's Holocaust trauma - film review

Much of the movie details their search through Budapest, and as interesting as this city’s atmosphere is, it’s the relationships among the three leads that carry the movie forward.

DECEMBER 19, 2024ByHANNAH BROWN
ADIR MILLER and Joy Rieger in ‘The Ring.’

Israeli film ‘Red Flower’ copes with the carnage in Sderot - review

Also available is the docudrama One Day in October on Yes TV, by Daniel Finkelman and Oded Davidoff, which offers dramatized versions of four stories from October 7.

OCTOBER 27, 2024ByHANNAH BROWN
A SCENE from ‘Red Flower.’

Love, laughter, and high-stakes Haredi dating in 'Matchmaking 2' - review

If you’re craving a story that’s both romantic and funny, Matchmaking 2 is a good match.

OCTOBER 19, 2024ByHANNAH BROWN
NOAM IMBER (left) and OMER NUDELMAN in 'Matchmaking 2.'

Norwegian talkfest ‘Sex’ is an utterly unsexy film - review

Norwegian film "Sex" revives mumblecore with a dialogue-heavy story, but its slow, unremarkable conversations fall flat.

OCTOBER 13, 2024ByHANNAH BROWN
THORBJORN HARR and Jan Gunnar Roise in Dag Johan Haugerud’s film, ‘Sex.’

‘White Bird’ stars Helen Mirren as a Holocaust survivor who teaches her grandson about kindness

The movie is a spinoff of “Wonder” (2017), a modern-day story about a middle schooler seeking to fit in despite his facial differences.

OCTOBER 5, 2024BySHIRA LI BARTOV/JTA
Helen Mirren as Grandmère and Bryce Gheisar as Julian in "White Bird: A Wonder Story."

'A World Apart' showcases Italian small-town charm with a heartfelt story of resilience - opinion

'A World Apart' tells the heartwarming story of a Roman teacher revitalized by a tiny Italian village’s fight to keep its school open, resonating with today’s challenges.

AUGUST 27, 2024ByHANNAH BROWN
A SCENE from ‘A World Apart.’

'Thelma': A movie that will ride off with your heart - review

Thelma is a touching and entertaining story about what getting old is like for many people, with real laughs and moving moments.

AUGUST 12, 2024ByHANNAH BROWN
JUNE SQUIBB and Fred Hechinger in ‘Thelma.’