What to watch in Israel: Focus on the war, a Turkish rom-com, ‘Oppenheimer’

It’s hard to imagine any drama more gripping than what has been in the news recently, but some of the television options illustrate how creative Israelis have become, developing new content in the face of this difficult situation. 

On Monday, Kan 11 announced that a new episode of the popular comedy series, Checkout (also available on Netflix), was being filmed “in the shadow of the war,” and that it would address the tragedy and conflict. 

Parents in Reserve Duty, a new docu-drama for children from Yes, inspired by the current situation, will begin running on the ZOOM TOON channel (Channel 88), as well as on Yes VOD and Sting TV, in December. It’s a 10-part series that gives a gentle glimpse at what parents do in reserve duty, in a way that is suitable for children. 

In each episode, a child arrives at the base where one of their parents is serving and spends the day with them, learning about the work of that unit. The series answers many questions that children might have, such as where their parents sleep and what they eat while they are on reserve duty.

An episode of the Kan series, Sorry for Asking, featuring families of the hostages answering questions about what they are going through, just aired and can still be seen on the Kan website at kan.org.il. Thankfully, since it was broadcast, the loved ones of some of those who appeared in it were released, but, sadly, not all. 

A documentary on the Son of Hamas

NADAV SCHIRMAN’S excellent 2014 documentary, The Green Prince, is currently available on Hot 8 VOD. It is a portrait of Mosab Hassan Yousef, who told his amazing story in his book, Son of Hamas. His father was one of the founders of Hamas on the West Bank and he grew up as part of its elite. But, influenced by childhood trauma and a stay in an Israeli prison, where he was disillusioned when he saw Hamas members torturing other prisoners they accused of collaborating with Israel, he turned against the group. 

Eventually, he was recruited by the Shin Bet to give intelligence on them. The documentary explores his journey, as well as his relationship with his former Shin Bet handler, Gonen Ben Yitzhak, who helped him get political asylum in the US. Yousef has been speaking out recently about the conflict on international news channels and social media. He criticizes Hamas and encourages Israel to continue in its fight, which makes The Green Prince even more timely today. 

TWO EXCELLENT Israeli films are now available to stream for free, with English subtitles on the Israel Film Archive of the Jerusalem Cinematheque (jfc.org.il/en). One is the drama, Late Summer Blues, directed by Renen Schorr in 1987. Schorr went on to found the Sam Spiegel Film School in Jerusalem after Late Summer Blues put him on the map in the Israeli film world. 

The movie, set during the War of Attrition in the early 1970s, is about a group of friends in Tel Aviv spending the summer together before they are drafted. They all have very different attitudes about the army: one wants to serve in a combat unit and prove himself, another has decided to be a conscientious objector, and so on. 

It has a winning cast, although most of the actors look much older than 18. It’s interesting to see how some things have changed since then, while others have stayed the same, notably the fact that so many young people still have to fight and die.

Also on Israel Film Archive website is the documentary, Children of the Sun, by Ran Tal. Tal is one of Israel’s most acclaimed and interesting documentary directors, and Children of the Sun is one of his best films. It’s about the life of children raised on old-style kibbutzim, where most lived in children’s homes. 

The whole film is told through voice-over reminiscences and home movies and photos of children. There are no formal interviews and Tal lets their stories unfold without telling you what to think. You can appreciate both the positives and negatives of this way of growing up. The independence the children had was amazing, although some talk about feeling neglected by their parents. For what it’s worth, people I know who grew up on kibbutzim thought that this was a brilliant film. 

FOR THOSE times when key parts of your brain are not functioning, you can watch the sexy Netflix rom-com, Last Call for Istanbul. Turkish movies and series are featured often on Netflix and a great many of them are a lot of fun. Before Netflix, I only knew of super-serious arthouse Turkish directors such as Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose upcoming movie, About Dry Grasses, is about as enjoyable as it sounds, and the over-the-top Turkish telenovelas that my neighbors watch. 

Kivanc Tatlitug, who was the marine scientist on a submarine as the rest of the world is destroyed in the Netflix series Yakamoz S-245, plays Mehmet, a musician, in Last Call. Beren Saat is Serin, an accessories designer. They are from Istanbul but they “meet cute” at the airport in New York when her suitcase gets lost. 

Both are married but are undeniably attracted to each other and start spending time together in the Big Apple. They both look great, their clothes are great, they drink great cocktails, and all that stuff. About halfway through there is a big twist, that makes it all more dramatic, as if the filmmakers thought we were having too much fun with this silly, flirty romance and wanted to make it more substantial. You may find that the twist deepens the story, or it may annoy you. But there is much to enjoy in this glossy, fast-paced flick. 

For those who want a funny, clever comedy, the second season of Kid Sister, created by and starring Simone Nathan, starts running on Hot Vod and on Hot 3 on December 6 at 8:15 p.m., and Yes Vod and Yes Binge. It’s the story of a Jewish young woman in New Zealand who is trying to figure out her romantic and professional life, as her loving but controlling family drives her crazy. The first season ended at an interesting moment, and fans of the show will be happy to find out what happens next. 

If you want something serious, but not about our war, Cellcom TV will be showing the Christopher Nolan movie Oppenheimer, the story of the scientist whose work made the atomic bomb possible, starting on December 7. It’s also available on Apple TV+. 

This was one of the most acclaimed movies of the year, and started the Barbieheimer craze, where people went from Oppenheimer and then saw Barbie, or the other way around. I found Oppenheimer ponderous and empty, with a mind-numbingly repetitive script and a glacial, inexpressive lead performance by Cillian Murphy, but I think it might actually work better on the small screen, which isn’t actually a compliment. It certainly has its fans, though.