Movie Reviews

Assaf Machnes's 'Where to?' wins top prize at Jerusalem Film Festival

The festival awarded prizes totaling approximately NIS 1 million across its Israeli and international competitions, as well as its short-film, experimental-film, and industry programs.

Co-stars Ido Tako (left) and Ihab Salami with a poster of their film, Where To?, directed by Assaf Machnes, at its premiere at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
Scene from ‘Köln 75,' directed by Israeli Ido Fluk.

'Köln 75': The unlikely story behind Keith Jarrett's iconic concert - review

HAVANA ROSE LIU (left) and Leo Woodall in ‘Tuner.’

'Tuner' mixes classical music, crime, and Dustin Hoffman - review

A SCENE from ‘In the Hand of Dante.’

What to watch this week: Gal Gadot buoyant in an otherwise sinking ship in 'In the Hand of Dante'


Israeli creativity in the limelight with this year's Jerusalem Film Festival lineup

The films illustrate the diversity and professionalism of the Israeli film industry and show that even in a time of war and tragedy, Israeli creators continue to work.

 ‘COME CLOSER’ and ‘Eid’ will be screened at the Jerusalem Film Festival next month.

'Hila': A spectacular movie about a single mother's obsession - review

Hila, which is very watchable in spite of its occasional and distracting descents into pretension, is certainly one of Michal Bat-Adam’s best movies. 

 A scene from Michal Bat-Adam's film 'Hila.'

‘Hemda’: Shemi Zarhin's film collapses under the weight of a busy plot - review

Usually, whether I like a movie or not, I can understand why the director wanted to make it, but here the reasoning eluded me.

 SASSON GABAY and Assi Levy in ‘Hemda.’

'Treasure': Julia von Heinz's film on Holocaust trauma - review

Treasure is a very particular story that will evoke universal emotions in audiences.

 STEPHEN FRY and Lena Dunham in ‘Treasure.’

'The Sixth Child': A tragic French story of parenthood, poverty - review

As I watched the movie, my loyalties kept shifting among the characters, and I wasn’t always sure where it was going – one of the highest compliments I can give any movie.

 A scene from 'The Sixth Child'

'June Zero': An obscure story about Eichmann in Israel after the trial

People forget that Eichmann spent about two years in Israel, as investigators interrogated him before the trial, during his trial, and in the period of appeals that followed the trial.

 A SCENE from  Jake Paltrow’s  ‘June Zero.’

'Perfect Days': Less a movie, more like moving in with a stranger - review

The movie tells the story of a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo, one of the cleanest cities in the world.

 KOJI YAKUSHO and Arisa Nakano in ‘Perfect Days.’

Cinematheques pay tribute to Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki

Miyazaki’s unique work is imaginative and filled with beautiful imagery, but his stories also have great emotional depth, usually from the point of view of children.

 A SCENE from ‘Princess Mononoke,’ one of Studio Ghibli's most successful movies.

‘Kiss Me Kosher’ tells a comic story of an Israeli-German couple - film review

It’s a typically irreverent joke in a movie that is a mixture of a rom-com and a more serious look at how Israelis deal with prejudice and the past, which is now playing in theaters.

 A SCENE from ‘Kiss Me Kosher.’

A young woman displays extraordinary courage in ‘Irena’s Vow’ - review

Irena’s Vow gives us a look into the life of the kind of person we all hope we would be if we found ourselves tested like this.

 SOPHIE NELISSE plays the role of the heroine of ‘Irena’s Vow.’