"World Cinema: Israel"

My book, "World Cinema: Israel" (originally published in 1996) is available from Amazon on "Kindle", with an in-depth chapter comparing and analyzing internationally acclaimed Israeli films up to 2010.

Want to see some of the best films of recent years? Just scroll down to "best films" to find listings of my recommendations.

amykronish@gmail.com

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

New Israeli TV Series Available on Netflix


If you liked Fauda, then you will surely like the new Israeli TV series, When Heroes Fly (Bishvila Giborim Afim), directed by Omri Givon, based on a novel by Amir Guttfreund.  Just like Fauda, this is a complex and gripping thriller, with highly developed characters and script. 

Unlike Fauda, however, this is not about how the Israelis treat the Palestinians and how the Palestinians treat the Israelis.  Rather, this is about a bunch of Israeli soldiers who served together in combat during the 2006 Second War in Lebanon. They are a diverse group – religious and secular, Sephardi and Ashkenazi.  When their commander gets badly wounded and they are overrun by a large contingent of Hezbollah fighters, they are forced to leave him behind on the battlefield.  One of them is badly affected by this incident and, as a result, he pushes his girlfriend away, and she runs off to Colombia, where she is apparently killed in a terrible road accident.  Years later, there seems to be a doubt as to her death.  Is it possible that she is still alive and well in Colombia?  Four friends, putting aside their old resentments and terrible memories, set off to try to find her.
 
When Heroes Fly is very well-made, moves back and forth in time, providing context and memory, and there is stunning photography in the jungle of Colombia.  It is a 2018 Israeli TV series made by Keshet, 10 episodes in Hebrew and Spanish with English subtitles.  I just finished binge watching the series and I highly recommend it!

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