Under the guise of a Burkes comedy, this film exposes the racism and judgment in Israeli society

"Good Guys", about matchmaking in ultra-orthodox society, is a fun film that also has something to say about local society.

The viewing is delightful and the messages are poignant and relevant, but its inauthenticity cries out to the heavens

Avner Shavit

09/19/2022

Monday, September 19, 2022, 00:02

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From the movie "Good Guys" (courtesy of United King Films)

Star rating for movies - 3.5 stars (photo: photo processing, .)

Like most concepts in the local discourse, "Borks film" has also become a derogatory word for us.

In fact, a Borax film is a genre like any genre.

There are good borax films and there are less good borax films, just like there are good westerns and less good westerns.

"Good Guys", which was released this weekend, is a Borax movie - and as its name suggests, it's good.

Like most terms, "borax film" has also lost its original meaning.

Today it is used to catalog any local and "popular" cinema, whatever that means.

Originally, it meant films dealing with sectarian tension through a romantic story.

This was the case, for example, in "Katz and Kerso", and it is also happening here.

The difference is that with the times, and in accordance with the trend of stylization of Israeli culture, this is happening in ultra-Orthodox society.

And so, the film is about a young man named Moti - Iloy Torah, Elam Hamudot, and Ashkenazi.

He is a hot commodity in the ultra-orthodox matchmaking market, and every Ashkenazi mother dreams of him becoming part of her family.

just what?

He even fell in love with a young Mizrahi girl named Nehmi.

A match between them is out of the question, but Muti is not ready to give up the love of his life.

In order to stop him from trying to match other girls to him, he pretends to be blind, which leads to an immediate drop in his market value.

This ploy reopens the option that the Romeo and Juliet of the ultra-orthodox society will still be together, but of course also leads to new and other complications.

From "hot goods" to "defective product".

Amit Rahab in "Good Guys" (photo: courtesy of United King Films)

Borax films are a deceptive species.

On the face of it, these are light comedies, but there is usually a social charge hidden in them.

This is also true of "good guys".

On the surface it is a charming romantic tale, but in fact it deals with the terrible racism in ultra-Orthodox society.

This makes this fresh hit quite unique, since as far as I remember, there has been only one Israeli film on the subject so far - the excellent "The Unofficial" by Eliran Malka.

A secular audience that will watch the film may utter words of contempt towards the ultra-Orthodox world, but as usual - the mirror here is aimed at it as well.

Is the situation in secular society much better?

Will secular Ashkenazi families welcome a beautiful Sephardi bride, and vice versa?

In his wisdom, "good guys" adds another layer to this, and in addition to the sectarian demon, he also deals with judgment towards the other.

The fact that Moti turns from a "hot commodity" into a "damaged product" and an unattractive bachelor only because of his blindness, shows our attitude as a society towards difference, and our rejection of those who do not meet the accepted models.

Of course, this is also very relevant to the secular public, and those who don't see it, should define themselves on Tinder as blind and see what happens.

The "good guys" have something to say, but the content does not come at the expense of the form.

The movie is well made and fun to watch.

Tadmor has collected some hot names and they are doing a great job.

Prominent among them are Amit Rahav and Liana Ayon, Romeo and Juliet, Maor Schweitzer as Dachan and others.

Colorful and rough.

From "Good Guys" (photo: courtesy of United King Films)

Also among the supporting characters you can find familiar names, for example Adi Beatty in her first prominent film role as an ultra-Orthodox young woman, but I would like to point out an unknown (for now) discovery: Marni Shamrot, who injures and shines as an American young woman who arrived in Israel and becomes one of the candidates for the hero's match.

I understand that the actress herself also came here from New York.

She has an extraordinary cinematic presence, a perfectly captivating charisma.

She is a gift to Israeli cinema.

It is impossible to ignore the film's affinity with "Shtisel", and it also shares its cinematographer - Roy Roth, who also shot "Manaich", and once again proves here that he is one of the most underappreciated craftsmen in local cinema and television.

As usual, his photography work adds energy, rawness and color to "good guys".

The film was directed by Erez Tadmor, one of the most diligent and prolific creators in Israeli cinema.

In a period of less than five years, he managed to complete no less than three full-length films - "Good News", which was released about three years ago, "Good Guys" and "Nobody's Children", which competed for the Ophir this year and will be released later.

Tadmor's dedication to the big screen must be appreciated.

"Good Guys" illustrates his passion for cinema and his knowledge in the field.

It is a film made within the framework of the most Israeli genre, and takes place in a specific local reality, but it also draws inspiration from Hollywood romantic classics.

The climax, for example, clearly corresponds with Julia Roberts' monologue from "Notting Hill".

More in Walla!

This Israeli film is a masterpiece even on an international scale

To the full article

The lack of authenticity screams to heaven.

Adi Beatty in "Good Guys" (photo: courtesy of United King Films)

And after all the warm words, a few words of disclaimer about the credibility of the film.

Tadmor himself is secular, but he produced the film together with the ultra-Orthodox Yikki Reisner, and they wrote the script together with Chava Divon, also ultra-Orthodox.

You can believe they have no idea what they are talking about.

However, almost all secular players are finished.

By the way, this is also the case in "Akra", which came out two weeks ago and also deals with ultra-Orthodox society, but there at least most of the protagonists repeat the question, which softens the inauthenticity a bit.

In "Good Guys" we have to buy the illusion that Adi Biti was born and raised as an ultra-Orthodox and still is.

True, that's what it is: ultra-Orthodox won't play in a movie that is also intended for a secular audience, so such castings are the only possible solution.

Why didn't it bother me when "Filling the Void" came out a decade ago and it does bother me now?

Maybe because today we live in the age of Instagram.

It's a bit funny to see actors portray pure and kosher ultra-Orthodox here, and then upload pictures of them in swimsuits.

At the very least, it would have been possible to hold back with it and create some sort of buffer zone of a few weeks before and after the release of the film, but these days you don't hold back.

"Good Guys" is an excellent film, with a relevant and universal message, which has honestly earned its place at the top of the list of films watched at Cinema City - but it is also a clearly inauthentic costume ball.

The cinema is always an illusion, that's clear, but this time the illusion is a little more obvious than usual.

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Tags

• Maor Schweitzer

• Liana Ayon

• Amit Rahab

• religious