The worst of times, the best of movies

Before the war broke out, 2023 was a year when audiences eagerly flocked to feature-film-length commercials such as Barbie and Air. Apparently, many of those who enjoyed the pink-hued, crushingly obvious complaints about sexism made in Barbie also enjoyed the colorless, crushingly obvious seriousness of Oppenheimer, which endlessly discussed the fact that the atom-bomb creator’s loyalty to the United States was questioned during the McCarthy era, a fairly predictable development that does not come close to being the most interesting aspect of the scientist’s life.

As I watched Oppenheimer, I kept thinking that if you cut out about 60-90 minutes out of the three-hour film and occasionally got Cillian Murphy, who played the title role, to change his expression, you might have had a good movie. But there were other less hyped films, many from outside the US, that were far better. 

Israeli movies had a strong year, too, although the war obviously closed theaters for a few weeks. Here are my 10 best international films this year (with one exception, these all played in movie theaters in Israel), followed by the 10 best Israeli movies. 

Top 10 international movies

1. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

This nearly flawless movie adaptation of Judy Blume’s bestselling coming-of-age novel about a tween girl figuring out her life never opened in Israel, in spite of its obvious Jewish angle – Margaret is conflicted about religion, since her mother is Christian and her father is Jewish, and she spends quality time with her Jewish grandmother. However, it is available in Israel on Apple TV+ and anyone who has access should see this film while they can, and it will eventually be shown on Israeli movie channels. 

Set in the early 1970s, it’s as relevant today as when the book was first published. The deep dilemmas of adolescence don’t change, even though the tech is different, and this is a loving look at rites of passage in girls’ lives, that are not shown on screen often enough. The movie was directed and adapted by Kelly Fremon Craig and produced by James L. Brooks, the genius behind The Simpsons, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Taxi, and the movie, Broadcast News, and his input shows in the warm, affectionate treatment of the characters. 

2. A Brighter Tomorrow

Nanni Moretti’s movie mixed lightheartedness and melancholy, as most of his films do, in this story of a movie director making a film about tensions in the Italian Communist Party after World War II, while dealing with his own tensions at home and trying to sell his film to Netflix execs who don’t know or care about anything that took place in the 1950s. Moretti stars as the alternately childish and wise hero. 

3. May December

Todd Haynes’ movie about an actress (Natalie Portman) doing research for an upcoming role in a movie about a woman (Julianne Moore) who had sex with a seventh grader and eventually married him, was much more entertaining than you might have expected from the odd premise, with first-rate performances by all the leads. Haynes’ tendency to pay homage to 1950s melodramas by Douglas Sirk works well here, and Portman and Moore shine. 

4. Armageddon Time

James Gray’s coming-of-age story of a Jewish kid in 1980s New York learning to cope with his complicated family and the racism in his school is sharply observed, and features a terrific performance by Anthony Hopkins as his grandfather. While the story meanders a bit, you’ll remember the scenes with this gently endearing old man most clearly when the film is over. 

5. Golda

Helen Mirren gave an incredible performance in the title role of Guy Nattiv’s film about how the prime minister coped with the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War. Now that Israel is engaged in another war that took the government by surprise, it’s even more relevant. 

6. Rose

This gem from Denmark is about a woman who takes her adult sister who has schizophrenia on a bus trip to Paris. Both sad and funny, it shows the huge challenges of coping with schizophrenia and celebrates the lives of those who live with it and of their families. Directed by Niels Arden Oplev, it is anchored by Sofie Grabol’s beautiful performance in the lead. 

7. Metronom

This Romanian movie by Alexandru Belc looks at the 1970s rebellious youth culture in Bucharest and tells a complex story about a teen girl who unintentionally finds herself in serious political trouble because she attends a party where the guests listen to a rock music radio show by a banned DJ. 

8. Broker

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s sweet story about a group of misfit criminals, who come together to find the baby that a young prostitute has abandoned, was a good-natured road movie about love and loss. 

9. Past Lives

Celine Song’s debut film about a Korean immigrant who wonders about the road not taken, when her old flame from home gets in touch, was lightweight but a pleasant enough romance.

10. Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese’s latest film was far from perfect, and I had qualms about the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio, since it didn’t make sense that the carefree hero would be pushing 50, and about the film’s 206-minute running time. But the basic plot, about how the Osage tribe became incredibly wealthy when oil was discovered on their land and how unscrupulous white men schemed to get control of their fortune is a great story and Scorsese is a great storyteller. Lily Gladstone has a wonderful presence as a Native American woman who should know better but falls for DiCaprio’s character anyway. 

Top 10 Israeli movies

While the Israeli film industry is facing tough times now as moviemakers try to figure out what will happen to them on the day after the war, a remarkably interesting bunch of movies were released here throughout the year. They spotlight the diversity of Israeli society and feature some great performances, many by newcomers I hope we’ll be seeing more of soon. A number of these movies are still playing, so go out and see them and help support the local film industry if you can. 

1. The Monkey House

Avi Nesher’s 22nd feature film is a purely enjoyable, witty, literary mystery that stars Adir Miller, Suzanna Papian, Ala Dakka, and Shani Cohen.

2. The City

Amit Ullman’s debut film is the first feature-length, neo-noir rap musical comedy/murder mystery in Hebrew and it takes viewers on a crazy ride. Ullman wrote it, directed it, and stars and sings in it. 

3. The Stronghold

This hard-hitting movie by Lior Chefetz tells the fact-based story of an Israeli outpost on the Suez Canal in the first days of the Yom Kippur War, and stars Daniel Gad and Michael Aloni.

4. Valeria is Getting Married

In Michal Winik’s film, an arranged marriage between a Ukrainian woman and an Israeli man doesn’t go as planned. It features an outstanding performance by Lena Fraifeld as Valeria’s sister. 

5. Running on Sand

A comedy by Adar Shafran that has something serious to say about foreigners in Israel tells the story of an Eritrean about to be deported who is mistaken for a Nigerian soccer star. Chancela Mongoza, who plays the lead, gives a real movie-star performance. 

6. America

Ofir Raul Glaizer’s movie tells an atmospheric, emotional story of childhood friends coping with their past, and features an appealing performance by newcomer Oshrat Ingadashet as the woman at the center of a love triangle that develops. 

7. More Than I Deserve

Pini Tavger’s debut feature tells the story of a Ukrainian single mom and her adolescent son, whose friendship with a troubled, newly ultra-Orthodox man changes their lives in unexpected ways. 

8. Seven Blessings

Ayelet Menahemi’s movie explores the psychological fallout of a strange Moroccan custom of giving away female children to be raised by infertile sisters. Co-writer Reymonde Amsalem gives the performance of her career in the lead, and the entire ensemble cast does terrific work. 

9. Judas

Veteran director Dan Wolman’s latest film is an adaptation of an Amos Oz novel about a lonely graduate student who becomes a caretaker for a brilliant, embittered intellectual and falls for the writer’s daughter-in-law. It’s a moody tale of wintry Jerusalem and it brings Oz’s world to life. 

10. Spinoza: 6 Reasons for the Excommunication of a Philosopher

I don’t think I’ve ever learned more from a documentary, or had more fun, than I did watching this film by David Ofek and Yair Qedar.