cephasroberts

I was captivated by this compelling drama about the war in Japan and the broken relationships that the protagonist had experienced. I thought drama we had reached the end of war stories from World War 2 but there was something deep going on in The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Though the title of the series does very little to entice or describe what the series is aboutI didn't find it difficult to get drawn into the story and become intrigued by what the characters were going through through and the reasons that influenced the decisions they made.

Whilst some of the scenes of Japanese violence to the Australian soldiers were visually difficult to watch and quite disturbing it showed the grief and guilt that the main characters went through. I found it difficult to watch but yet found myself feeling for the soldiers and hating the Japanese officers who delivered such cruel justice which was an injustice to all those at the receiving end!

Most films and dramas with Ciaran Hinds acting are worth watching and this was no different. My only disappointment was that some of the diction and a lot of the dialogue was difficult to understand so on went the subtitles!

I love spy thrillers and 'Yosi The Regretful Spy' is up there as a favourite! It's one of those annoying series that draw the viewer in and then keep them hooked with the 'cliff hanger' after an hour or less of each episode! Let's be clear, it's not '24' or 'Lost' but it is well acted, scripted and shot.

Yosi is the main protagonist who works undercover for the Argentine government. The main story centres around the 1992 bombing of the Israelis Embassy and how Yosi integrates himself deep into the Jewish Community. Series 2 develops what happens after the bombing and the serious consequences he faces from some of his choices.

I found it a bit difficult to keep up with the chopping of time lines but it's worth watching despite this. I highly recommend it.

Ok the first thing I need to say is that the version I saw was dubbed. So read this through that lens. Whist I did enjoy 'Broken Promises' I would have preferred sub titles but these were not an option as was not having to learn Slavic (?) which would have changed my whole experience of the film.

The beginning of the film seemed to focus on Martin Friedman's love of football which gave him some privileges but then he becomes ill and the focus changes again. The story arc's its way to the end of the War whilst on the way showing some honest depictions of the Slovak resistance and courage shown by catholic Priests.

I am someone who believes stories should be told and Martin Friedmans is a story worth telling. Along the way he faced prejudices from both sides of the political divide but managed to negotiate his way through them.

He began as a footballer and finished as a fighter. He really lived an extraordinary life.