Sh'at Neila

Really well told drama about the Yom Kippur War on the Syrian front. A lot of the narrative elements were gossip among veterans after the war and good to see on the screen. Action filled while the plot is strong. Easy to see how Israel's leaders were heavily criticized for lack of preparation, when Israel fought for her life in yet another war.

Can't wait to see more episodes, especially about Egyptian front on the Sinai, where my dad served!

Highly recommend watching this in Hebrew with subtitles, the dubbed version doesn't do it justice. A great insight into the war especially for those of us that weren't born when it happened. Think Israeli Band of Brothers. Poignant moment when two young innocent Arab and Israeli kids meet, really illustrates the futility of war. I sense the directors really tried not to glorify the cause of either side and deserve great credit for doing so.

This is quite an assault on our senses in all senses. The sheer horror and senselessness of young men going to war over political and religious differences. This series really captures the awful reality of average people thrown into the cauldron of horror brought on by fanatical political and religious leaders.

Such a sad sad indictment on so called humanity.

That said, it is terrifically made, acted, directed. The gritty reality is palpable. The cinematography is superb. The plot is a little ridiculous at times and the coincidental interactions absurd, but that aside.

For lovers of war, hopefully this will make you lose that love. War is awful.

This series is not. Watch it!!

Let's get the negatives out of the way first.

Yes, the geek kid is extremely annoying. But his character does experience growth. So there's that. Also, the guy playing Caspi over acts as well.

As to people moaning about bad dubbing, why are you watching a dubbed version? NEVER watch dubbed versions of anything. On Netflix, in particular, every show that is dubbed is awful. Great shows like "Money Heist" and "Babylon Berlin" sound like high school productions if you watch them dubbed. And, yes, there is both a dubbed version and an original language version available of "Valley of Tears" on HBO Max. So, stop complaining if you're not watching with subtitles.

But, all that aside, this is a pretty mesmerizing show. It really sucks you into the moment in time. Many of the details are accurate depictions of the chaos and noise, fear and horror of war. No, not everyone marches into battle like John Wayne or leads troops expertly like George Patton. I appreciate the reality of it all. Together with "1917," these are two of the best anti-war films in a long time. And, yes, pretty much all war films are anti-war films.

This series is very well done from the point of realism. One certainly gets the feel of being in battle with people fighting for their very right to exist. The war was hard on all sides and resulted in loss of life. The personal stories are very dramatic. Bear in mind however that this is a soap opera so be prepared for very melodramatic and "soapy" dialog! The worst thing one could say about the series would be the toupees used to evoke the 1970s feel really looked a bit silly. However it did not detract from the excellence of the production. It is well worth the watch and it helps if you know the back story to the war and the culture of the region. Do not under any circumstances watch the dubbed version! Watch only the original version in Hebrew and Arabic and read the subtitles!