Film review

‘Waves’ captures thrill and tragedy of resistance at Prague radio station in ’68 - review

Much of Waves is about the exhilaration of resisting, and how exciting it can be to give people the knowledge they need, which is being kept from them, to make their own decisions.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
FROM LEFT: Vojtech Vodochodský, Stanislav Majer, and Tatiana Pauhofová in ‘Waves.’
Coyote in New York.

New documentary 'To Kill a Nazi' details Holocaust survivor's key role in Entebbe rescue

The hijacking of the flydubai flight made "To Kill a Nazi" incredibly topical, since it tells the story of the extraordinary life of Michel Cojot, a Holocaust and Entebbe hijacking survivor.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
ALTHOUGH SET after World War II, ‘Orphan’ references the war in nearly every disconsolate frame, and captures the melancholy of trying to pick up the pieces after a tragedy of such a grand scale.

‘Orphan,’ the new film by László Nemes, tells a bleak story of a Jewish boy in 1950s Budapest

A brilliant, hopeless portrait of troubled childhood, Orphan references the war in nearly every disconsulate frame.

|ByHANNAH BROWN
‘VALLEY OF SHADOWS’ tells the story of a Spanish tourist who ends up spending months in a tiny isolated village.

Moving, complex ‘Valley of Shadows’ explores culture clash in the Himalayas - review

Combined with the spectacular photography and compelling performances by the entire cast, many of whom are non-professionals, the movie takes us on a moving journey.

|ByHANNAH BROWN

Chalamet masterfully channels Bob Dylan in 'A Complete Unknown' - film review

The movie is far from flawless, but the problems with it are likely not ones that will bother you as you’re watching it.

FEBRUARY 8, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET and Monica Barbaro as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez in ‘A Complete Unknown.’

'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.’