Above and Beyond (2015)

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Fresh and Exciting

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

I really enjoyed this incredibly interesting documentary on the little known story about young Americans (and other internationals) who came together and volunteered to protect and defend the fledgling Israeli state from the invading Arab armies. We'll likely never get a movie about it; which is a shame because it would be one heck of a true story for Hollywood to tell. As it was, the footage was remarkable as it was presented; with the actual participants vividly describing the events as if it happened yesterday. You'll cheer, you'll laugh, you'll cry. And that's not to mention it's also full of a some surprises. A hint is in the cast list.

Above and Beyond is a most moving documentary, telling the true story of how US (and other foreign) volunteers, and Israelis, used unimaginable courage and ingenuity to build the foundation of the Israeli Air Force, and how against all odds they won the Arab war of 1948 to drive the Jews into the sea and eliminate the new State of Israel. With stunning visuals, the film makes the point that when the Arabs were tired of fighting they could simply go home, but the Jews had no such choice because they were fighting *for* their home. Impossibly outnumbered and out-gunned, the Jews knew that if they didn't win the war being waged against them by five invading Arab armies, they would be slaughtered in another Holocaust.I defy anyone to watch this film with a dry eye. Dani Shapira, a young Israeli pilot, receives his wings after the war, as he emotionally says: "In the Israeli Air Force. In my air force. In my country." Leon Frankel, an American Jew who'd fought in the second world war, says with equal emotion: "We have a great word in Yiddish, that's 'bashert.' It's fated. It's meant to be. Maybe God spared us in World War II so that we could come to Israel and help the remnants of our people survive . . . I knew then and there that was the reason that I came."Above and Beyond is available on Netflix.

"Above and Beyond" is a documentary from Nancy Spielberg, Steven's sister. Additionally, it was written and directed by women--making this film rather unusual. Sad that we don't see more like this.The movie is about a period seldom talked about--the formation of Israel and its statehood in 1948. At that time, most of the Arab world seemed ready to destroy the country and Israel had few resources other than folks eager to create a new nation. They had nothing in the way of military--and the lack of an air force was particularly worrisome. This film is about this first air force-- mostly made up of foreigners (mostly Americans) using surplus WWII airplanes.Fortunately for this film, many of the old pilots were alive to participate in the production--rather amazing considering how long ago these events occurred. In addition to this and some great production values and an interesting story, it's well worth seeing.

This review of "Above and Beyond" by Wes Greene is excerpted from Slant magazine (1/26/2015). I couldn't express my disappointment with this film any better!(For those of you who want to see what a truly wonderful documentary can bring to this subject, I urge you to see "A Wing and a Prayer" by Boaz Dvir available from PBS (Miami) 800-222-9728)The Pre-WWII lives of the pilots are only discussed in brief. This creates very little context into their motivations for traveling to the Middle East to engage in another war, as well as their Jewish heritage. As Grossman presents it, the pilots are only fighting in Israel because they're Jewish, though the interviews with the subjects clearly hint at something more complex; in failing to elaborate on such personal history, the filmmaker unintentionally flattens her subjects so that they become indistinguishable from one another. This evasion of insight even runs through the rushed recounting of the Israeli-Arab War, as important events and figures are reduced to mere footnotes rather than viewed through uniquely personal perspectives. Grossman may channel the loose, adrenaline-fueled lives of pilots, but the film's inconsistent, often impassive study of this intriguing real-life adventure feels half-told.