Wes Hopper

Wes Hopper is a writer and reviewer living in Los Angeles.

family watching tv
Film

Best Jewish Films of 2021

Wes Hopper
 December 27, 2021
As 2021 draws to a close, it's a good time to reflect on the year in Jewish film and highlight six worthy of your attention. Two of the films here are from first-time filmmakers, another pair are Holocaust documentaries, and the final duo draw their tales from the past. Here is my list of the best Jewish films released in the U.S. in 2021.
Becoming Dr. Ruth
Holocaust

Becoming Dr. Ruth

Wes Hopper
 December 17, 2021
"Becoming Dr. Ruth" carefully and quite literally unpacks the turbulent early years of Dr. Ruth Westheimer -- Holocaust survivor, single mother, and eventual superstar sex therapist. At the same time, this one-woman show starring Tovah Feldshuh celebrates the possibilities of America, while never quite letting go of the past.
Love It Was Not film
Arts and Culture

Film Review: Love It Was Not

Wes Hopper
 November 1, 2021
Fresh off a nomination for best documentary at the Ophir Awards, the Israeli equivalent of the Oscars, Maya Sarfaty's new film, Love It Was Not, brings to American audiences the real-life tale of a love affair between a Jewish prisoner and her Nazi SS officer.
A scene from the film Golden Voices - VIctor and Raya on a bus
Film

Film Review: Golden Voices

Wes Hopper
 October 4, 2021
In Evgeny Ruman’s bittersweet new film, Golden Voices, a pair of aging voice actors find their lives in upheaval after immigrating to Israel from the former Soviet Union. Victor and Raya, (Vladimir Friedman and Maria Belkin), are not only in a new land with an altogether new language, but also at a crossroads in both career and marriage.
child of the 1940 waving
Holocaust

Final Account: Film Review

Wes Hopper
 June 7, 2021
The film, produced by the USC Shoah Foundation, attempts to capture the recollections of an elderly subset of Germans who lived through the Third Reich and will soon no longer be around to give voice to what they witnessed.