Shtisel

Shtisel is a par above the best television and most cinema produced in Israel. My copious consumption of TV and film notwithstanding, I have never reviewed, but was compelled to when discovering the stunning absence of commentary for this stunning work of art.

In a hyper digitized culture this show is reactionary to say the least. It returns to the origin of the medium of moving pictures, storytelling. Beautiful, delicate, morally challenging and consistently human stories.

Technically the show is artful and precise, with a seemingly authentic, almost anthropological portrayal of a society that is generally inaccessible. Drama seems to arise slowly, patiently, through competent composition of scenes, performances that posses each character flawlessly, and again, stories that speak to the heart of who we are and how we relate to each other. Perhaps it takes a society that has not been swept by time as much as most, to demonstrate a few timeless truths that we can all relate to.

We live in the golden age of quality television, no doubt. But I can count on one hand the number of shows that humbly rely on the basics: acting and story. No FX, no cynicism, no melodrama. If you enjoy Detectorists, this'll probably be up your alley.

Well at last I have found a program that I absolutely love. Grandma makes me laugh out loud, she is a real character. I am learning about this different culture and find it so interesting. So here it is 2019 and I have only just found it!! I think the actors are all superb! I wish it was more than just two series. Well done to all concerned. A really great and intelligent story.

Watched both series in a matter of days. This is the second Orthodox Jew series in a row for me. I'm thinking about buying one of those cool hats to wear.

What absolutely floored me was how each and every episode captured my immediate and full attention from beginning to end. Whoever wrote the script must be a genius. The acting was wonderful but the script was miles above anything I've seen in a long time. I would easily watch a third and fourth series and never once tire of them.

This series is Netflix at its finest. American network tv has a long way to go to catch up with this.

This is about a orthodox Jewish family. I am not Jewish and I don't know much about it, so it's interesting to see certain customs.

While it's a very different life from mine, it's so relatable! Family dynamics are just the same everywhere. They are real people that with all the feelings of pride, hurt and sibling rivalry. And there is such great humour in this show as well. I sometimes rewind scenes just to look at facial expressions of all involved, because the actors are great. All of them. The patriarch and youngest son are also played so well. Highly recommend, though it's clearly for a niche audience.

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.