Shtisel (2013)

Watchseries; This came up on the Netflix portal and I avoided it, as being probably all about religion and patriarchy and just ... heavy. Something in the face of the actors Doval'e Glickman - then something in the face of Michael Aloni - (Shtisel father and son, and we never really know who we love more and who is our main character) - jumped out from the publicity images. I'm not Jewish and have always been a bit scared of orthodox anything. The story is really elemental and could take place at any time. It takes its time to explore the impact of seismic struggles between parents and children and husbands and wives, the kinds of struggles - that can forge your character or wreck your life - that many of us are doomed to go through. But these people more so because God can called on by both sides to bolster their arguments. And there is much love in it, even when the characters are treating each other brutally. There is also playfulness and urbanity and some magic. It takes place in Israel but because the ultraorthodox don't approve of the society they live in ('those evil people' they call the Zionists), you can set aside your personal views about the political situation. The cast is incredibly well chosen for their roles, all very distinctive and lovable, even the bad characters; the acting is very fine; the pace is perfectly judged and the writing never intrudes; the locations are authentic-seeming; and the whole structure has the weight and momentum of myth, more truth than a true story and more treasurable and satisfying than anything else I can think of in any artform over the past decade or so. Thank you to all who collaborated and created this series - if you never did anything again in your life, you can be content you have reached a level of beauty that may not have previously been achieved in television.

This came up on the Netflix portal and I avoided it, as being probably all about religion and patriarchy and just ... heavy. Something in the face of the actors Doval'e Glickman - then something in the face of Michael Aloni - (Shtisel father and son, and we never really know who we love more and who is our main character) - jumped out from the publicity images. I'm not Jewish and have always been a bit scared of orthodox anything. The story is really elemental and could take place at any time. It takes its time to explore the impact of seismic struggles between parents and children and husbands and wives, the kinds of struggles - that can forge your character or wreck your life - that many of us are doomed to go through. But these people more so because God can called on by both sides to bolster their arguments. And there is much love in it, even when the characters are treating each other brutally. There is also playfulness and urbanity and some magic. It takes place in Israel but because the ultraorthodox don't approve of the society they live in ('those evil people' they call the Zionists), you can set aside your personal views about the political situation. The cast is incredibly well chosen for their roles, all very distinctive and lovable, even the bad characters; the acting is very fine; the pace is perfectly judged and the writing never intrudes; the locations are authentic-seeming; and the whole structure has the weight and momentum of myth, more truth than a true story and more treasurable and satisfying than anything else I can think of in any artform over the past decade or so. Thank you to all who collaborated and created this series - if you never did anything again in your life, you can be content you have reached a level of beauty that may not have previously been achieved in television.

Shtisel watchseries. I've just watched series 1 and 2. Shtisel is outstanding. I've rarely watched anything so gripping and moving. This is as good as TV gets.

I am totally hooked on this and am sad that there is no 3rd series. It's amazing and the actors are fantastic. I especially love the girl Ruhami she's a brilliant actress. Please bring it back.

There is no 'blowing up and cussing' as the cliche goes. Nothing, absolutely nothing spectacular until you watch it. These seem to be real people in real life situations that relate to life as it is lived. Beautifully presented videography, superbly written scenarios and acting- the acting!

This show is just so special, beautifully drawn, written & presented, I loved all the characters, the opening credits, the unpretentious un self conscious feel of it and how the many aspects of personality/ behaviour around grief loss deception yearning etc is portrayed. Highly recommended. It's a shame so many people will be binging on exploitative muck like YOU and missing this wonderful heart and soul contribution. Thanks to all involved.

I started watching this by accident, and was hooked. It is so sweetly different and well worth a binge session. The characters were well written and not like the two dimensional ones in some dramas. I don't know anything about the Haredi community but this web of very human stories made me laugh out loud, brought me close to tears and left me wanting more.