Fauda

Fauda (2015) 

Fauda has achieved what only a handful of television shows can - it has become a unique cultural phenomenon in its country of origin. It unifies a deeply divided country, where partial apartheid exists, at least in the sense that all hostile communities regularly sit in front of their televisions, comment on the events, and find their own place therein. Fauda is not impartial; it is told from the perspective of members of an Israeli undercover commando operating in the Palestinian territories against Hamas-affiliated terrorists. However, it is not a purely biased view, as the creators clearly understand Palestinian realities and are able to provide Israelis with a different perspective and show the motives that lead to the attacks. The series allegedly has decent viewership even in several Arab countries that have no reason to support Israel. Fauda has managed to create a successful action-adventure product, with significantly less money, that also touches on the genre of political thriller and can compete confidently with popular action series from abroad. It is not flawless; for example, the combat deployment of the charming character Nurit is naturally attractive to the male part of the audience, but it contradicts the practice of not exposing women in the Israeli armed forces to the risk of capture. The foundation of Fauda's success lies in well-written characters on both sides of the barricade and a screenplay that does not pamper them, relentlessly crushing them, sliding them from one side to the other, and leaving them with bloody scars. The chosen format naturally does not allow for a deep psychological exploration of the thoughts of the inhabitants of Israel and Palestine, but as a portrayal of the hopeless state of society, where two nations and two cultures compete for the same territory, it works damn well. Overall impression: 90%. (04/10/2018)