You’d expect a film focused on Israeli hostages to take sides in the Middle East conflict.

“Torn” does, to a degree.

It’s also sympathetic to those who see posters of the kidnapped civilians as propaganda.

To a degree.

Truth matters, and it’s hard sympathizing with those eager to call for violence, intimidation and outright bigotry. It’s to “Torn’s” credit that the filmmakers broaden the story’s scope. They also couldn’t deny reality.

Many people tearing down those heart-tugging posters have hate in their hearts.

The documentary introduces us to two pro-Israeli protesters who leaned on street art following October 7. They created posters of kidnapped civilians, akin to old-school milk cartoons featuring the portraits of missing children.

Except some of the kidnapped souls were infants.

Their simple act of defiance started out small. They initially wondered if they had misjudged the moment. Within days, social media spread the message. Hundreds, maybe thousands, joined their cause across the globe.

The Big Apple became Ground Zero for the poster movement.

Suddenly, you couldn’t go far without seeing their handiwork. And it didn’t take long for pro-Palestinian forces to declare war on their efforts.

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“Torn” examines that seemingly unthinkable reaction. What could have been a jeremiad against anyone who did just that becomes a complicated look at protest in the 21st century.

Yes, we see thuggish souls ripping down posters and cursing anyone recording their actions. Many wear masks and shout anti-Semitic curses.

Others decry how little attention is paid to Palestinians in harm’s way. The latter point hits home in “Torn.” Some of the most ardent pro-Israeli voices in the film are willing to listen.

So is director Nim Shapira, who refuses to ignore the other side of the argument. Shapira doesn’t take the partisan bait, either. He keeps U.S. politics mostly out of the frame.

A few exceptions are noteworthy.

We see former Biden spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre refuse to condemn those tearing down the hostage posters. And, twice, we see President Donald Trump in connection with pro-Israeli measures.

The discipline is impressive given how the two parties have reacted to both October 7 and its aftermath. The team behind “Torn,” much like the recent “October 8,” avoids political infighting.

We meet people connected to the hostages as well as Jewish intellectuals who share provocative takes on the subject. Some argue that to “cancel” those who tear down posters only restricts public debate.

Others are critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Some personal tales prove powerful beyond words. A Jewish shopowner shares her attempts to keep the posters outside of her jewelry story intact. Day after day, vandals tear them down, until a confrontation with pro-Palestinian protesters turns violent.

What are the odds?

Her anger and, later, sense of defeat speaks to how far the Big Apple has fallen.

Shapira’s camera can only provide so much balance. The number of pro-Palestinian forces resorting to unfettered bigotry and violence speaks volumes.

The documentary can’t help but let the truth have the final say.

“Torn” is handsomely produced and never devolves into groupthink. It’s also a necessary part of a conversation that should be happening stateside and beyond.

HiT or Miss: “Torn” delivers a sobering look at a topic many would assume offers black-and-white answers.

The post Timely ‘Torn’ Sheds New Perspective on Shocking Protests appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

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I’ve always been skeptical of people that use “national security” as a justification for various repressive policies, including government secrecy, trade barriers, the military draft, censorship, and even taking over Greenland.

That’s not to suggest that national security is never a valid concern—I would not advocate releasing nuclear weapons secrets—rather that the concept is overused, often as a way of achieving other more dubious objectives such as mercantilism and authoritarianism.

One “tell” that national security is overused as an excuse for secrecy is that even top officials don’t take the concept seriously.  While Edward Snowden remains in exile for exposing US government crimes, top officials from both parties routinely flout national security laws, with no legal consequences.  Most people are familiar with Clinton’s emails and Trump’s bathroom full of documents, but there are many other such cases that could be cited, including previous slip-ups by Pete Hegseth.

A recent example occurred with the Signal chat leaks to Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic.  I predict that none of the people responsible for leaking US military secrets will end up going to jail.  They are not “little people”.

As with Watergate, the cover-up is often worse than the crime.  The administration initially denied that the leak included any classified information such as war plans or specific weapons systems.  The Atlantic then decided that if the government didn’t regard this information as classified, there was no reason not to publish the entire Signal chat.  It turned out that top government officials were lying to the press and Congress.

When I was young, government officials would have had to resign after a fiasco like Signalgate.  Indeed, when I was young, an obviously unqualified cable news reporter would never be appointed Secretary of Defense, or confirmed by the Senate.  That America is long gone.  (Pete Hegseth once suggested that Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted for a much more minor security leak.)  

Today, a different set of rules applies to the rich and famous.  Blue-collar types go to prison for violating prostitution laws.  The rich and famous purchase sexual favors with diamond bracelets and fancy dinners.  Blue-collar types go to prison for violating drug laws.  Rich and famous addicts go to rehab.  

PS.  Older readers may recall Leona Helmsley saying:

We don’t pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes.

Actually, the rich do pay lots of taxes; it’s the criminal justice system where they have a huge advantage. 

PPS.  There was an interesting case right here in Orange County where a 71-year old judge shot his wife after an argument, admitted to the crime, and even said he deserved to be convicted by a jury, and the jury still couldn’t reach a verdict.  Here’s the OC Register:

A year and a half after Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson, while sitting in a police station, said aloud to himself “I killed her. Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, convict my ass. I did it,” the actual jury tasked with deciding his fate announced they were deadlocked during their ninth day of deliberations, which lasted longer than the trial itself.

Imagine the same set of facts for a poor person.  You might say, “It’s complicated”.  Has there ever been a crime of passion that wasn’t?  Even black defendants get a break if they are rich and famous, as we saw in the OJ Simpson case.

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