East Side

Explosive drama that debuts in a very tense political timing in Israel. This looks like another very promising orchestrated series equivalent to Teheran also produced by Kan ch11 .All actors are giving 100% excellent performance. As this was episode 1 hard to say where this is is going ,but Kan 11's reputation will for sure take this sensitive drama to a very high level. There are a few stories going on simultaneously ,all tied together around a very sensitive main subject that will for sure develop to an uncharted territory during a very sensitive time frame, in an volatile area, reminding us, all that this way or the other always someone picks up the tab.

Update after EP2: As expected. The plot thickness and intensifies.

The fate of the Israeli public television continues to be uncertain, in a very volatile political situation. The best response of TV programs creators in these situations is to continue to do what some of them know how to do well - that is good, independent and interesting shows, reports, documentaries or fiction films and series that justify in the eyes the spectators and perhaps also the financiers the existence of such an institution. From this point of view 'East Side', the mini-series of which I have finished watching the ten episodes of the first (and maybe the only, but who knows?) season, continues, in my opinion, the line of interesting and courageous series, which bring on screen events and characters from sectors of Israeli reality with which even many of us who live here are unfamiliar. I would like to emphasize the idea of courage, because the story in the series 'East Side' takes place in the eastern part (disputed and populated mostly by Arab population) of Jerusalem and deals with a phenomenon that is very controversial in Israel and almost unanimously condemned in the rest to the world: expanding Jewish control over this part of the city by purchasing property in Arab neighborhoods. Building a complex story, with characters belonging to the various communities that populate the city and in relationships ranging from uncomfortable coexistence to violent conflict, the creators of the miniseries (created by Yossi Madmoni and Yael Rubinstein) knew that they were taking enormous risks and primarily that of offending everyone, despite efforts to be impartial or at least to balance viewpoints. The result is indeed controversial, but also interesting and important by raising the issue itself, precisely at a delicate and tense moment in Jerusalem's history (but are there ever quiet moments?).

The main hero is called Momi, a complex character with many highlights and shadows. A former officer in the Israeli security forces, Momi deals in real-estate deals of a special kind: the purchase of houses from Arab owners for Jewish organizations. It is a very delicate kind of business, involving dangers on the part of all participants. Momi's life is divided between this kind of business and his personal life in which he takes care of his autistic daughter, who has to pass the entrance exams for military service, which would greatly increase her chances of integrating into society. The ten episodes of the series allow us to get to know a variety of characters representative of the so diverse and contradictory mosaic of people living in Jerusalem. The quality of the writing derives from the fact that clichés are avoided and an approach as objective and unbiased as possible is attempted. The Israeli viewer can recognize in these characters figures similar to those he knew in reality, while the foreign viewer can get an idea of the diversity of people, relationships and problems that mingle in this turbulent place. Several of the characters are memorable: Momi himself and his daughter; the Muslim family who, after selling their house, becomes the target of revenge by Palestinian organizations; Theodoros, the Orthodox Christian patriarch who is being pressured to sell a church-owned hotel in the Old City; Meira, head of the settler organization, whose husband had been killed in a terrorist attack; the young gay Arab, former collaborator of the security services, who takes care of his sick father; Sophronius, the monk who entertains a forbidden relationship with a married woman and hesitates between the two worlds. Each of the characters is well-defined and truthful, both as a psychological profile and as a piece in the social and political mosaic. The setting is always Jerusalem, with the streets of the Old City, its hills and the sky that seems closer here than anywhere else in the world.

The ten episodes of the series allow the development of the characters and of several parallel lines of action. Like the population of Jerusalem, the film has an international cast, being spoken in Hebrew, Arabic, English and Greek. Some of the actors are well-known to the Israeli public (the main role is played by Yehuda Levi, a star of the Israeli TV series), others are less well-known, and all surprise in a good way. One of the episodes, which delves into the personal history of the Orthodox patriarch, takes place on a Greek island and is spoken entirely in Greek, probably as a result of collaboration with a local television studio. Except for this episode, in all the other, threads of action intertwine and advance in parallel. Some conclude, but many remain in suspense even after the final episode of the season. I'm curious how 'East Side' will be received abroad. It is likely that if it enjoys international success, other seasons will follow. There are enough premises in the final episode, and especially there is Jerusalem, a place where conflicts and legends, sacred and passions constantly meet in proposing an infinite number of topics to address.

Public broadcasters around the world are currently coming under political pressure. The Israeli broadcaster KAN, which is also responsible for selecting entries for the Eurovision Song Contest and thus for the extraordinary successes of Noa Kirel (Liverpool 2023), Eden Golan (Malmö 2024), and Yuval Raphael (Basel 2025) in recent years, is no exception. When socially relevant fiction programs such as the miniseries EAST SIDE are also produced, the broadcaster has done a lot of good in its engagement with political decision-makers.

EAST SIDE is set primarily in the eastern part of Jerusalem, which is predominantly inhabited by Arabs. In recent years, an increasing number of influential and, above all, extremely wealthy Jewish-Israeli groups have been attempting to acquire real estate in East Jerusalem. To accomplish this as quietly as possible, there are self-appointed "fixers" like the former secret service agent Momi (Yehuda LEVI), who uses all sorts of semi-legal means to initiate such deals. Momi, however, is not only a gifted blackmailer and a fearsome threat of violence, but also the loving father of an autistic daughter (Gefen KAMINER), who is struggling with her entrance exam for a special Israeli army program. And then there's the beautiful Esti (Neta RISKIN), who, as a social worker, supports the autistic Maya but also has her eye on Momi.

Series creators Yossi MADMONI and Yael RUBINSTEIN have written their series into an extremely interesting field of tension, which also offers German and French viewers of the television channel ARTE unusual insights into everyday life in Jerusalem. You meet remarkable characters who etch themselves in the audience's memory. What happens to an Arab family that, due to excessive debt, is forced to sell its home to Jewish Israelis and now has to fend off pro-Palestinian fanatics? Then there's the Jewish investor Meira (Sarit VINO-ELAD), who is trying to work through her own traumas with the millions from her foundation. And the Patriarch (Panos KORONIS) of the Greek Orthodox Church is also drawn into the real estate intrigue, as his congregation owns a prime piece of land in East Jerusalem. The extramarital love affair of a priest (Manos GAVRAS) offers a very welcome opportunity for blackmail. Very noteworthy: one episode of the miniseries is entirely in Greek, which further underscores the complexity of the story.

Two Arab-Israeli guest stars, who gained notoriety through their roles in the hit Netflix series FAUDA, also add wonderful touches. Amir KHOURI (season 2 of FAUDA) plays a former drug addict and current dealer from East Jerusalem who now has to work with Momi, but also fights with vigor for a new life. And the always fantastic Ala DAKKA (season 3 of FAUDA) portrays a gay Arab from East Jerusalem who previously had to act as an informant for Momi and is once again called upon by him. Ala DAKKA plays this role so breathtakingly well that, after his three nominations for the Israeli Film Award OPHIR, he also received a nomination for the Israeli Television Award. The two series creators and the main actors Yehuda LEVI, Gefen KAMINER, and Neta RISKIN have also been nominated for the television award in 2023.

Since the brilliant series HATUFIM (which became the basis for HOMELAND) in 2010, several remarkable television series have been created in Israel. FAUDA is certainly the best-known, but by no means the only quality series. The Israeli series creators tell the story of their country, which is in a permanent state of emergency. But even more importantly, they dare to address even uncomfortable truths and convincingly fictionalize them. It's a shame that this courage is far too rare in German-speaking countries!

East Side focuses mainly on a fellow whose business is bribing and pressuring non-Jewish Jerusalem landowners to sell their real estate to Jews. (Why does it never occur to Israel to export movies that portray the country favorably?) He has a daughter on the spectrum, played by an actress on the spectrum, and the problem with such stories is almost always that the screenwriter doesn't acknowledge how continually the disorder would, in reality, get in the way of the plot. In this case, the divergence from reality is less extreme than usual. You never known when the father's workday is going to be interrupted.

There are a fair number of characters and subplots to keep straight, but for the most part they don't get confusing. (I did have trouble remembering the difference between the nice-looking young man with a small apartment to sell and the nice-looking young monk interested in running away with a girlfriend.) In an unexpected but elegant swing away from the main plot, an entire episode takes place outside the Middle East just to intensify the motivation of one of the supporting characters. Or to get the production a subsidy from another government? I have no idea, but by widening the canvas, the episode makes a good contribution.

It seems to be de rigueur for a miniseries like this to leave a thread dangling in hopes of a second season. East Side does a good job of that; it wraps up enough to show there's no insufficiency in the authorial vision, but is doesn't lock the door behind itself.