Valley of Tears (, Emek HaBakha), (Series original name: , Sha‘at Ne'ila – meaning "the hour of Ne'ila") is an Israeli television mini-series directed by Yaron Zilberman based on a screenplay by Ron Leshem and starring Aviv Alush, Joy Rieger and Lior Ashkenazi. Development of the series lasted about a decade and its filming took place over 52 days starting on July 21, 2019. The premiere episode of the first season aired on Kan 11 on October 19, 2020. It was subsequently licensed by HBO Max, airing on November 12, 2020.
The series depicts the battles of the Yom Kippur War, with the first season focusing on the northern front of the war, and a second season focusing on the 1982 Lebanon war is reportedly being filmed as of March 2022. The series has been described as one of the most expensive television series in Israel, with advanced technologies used to recreate the battles, including the Battle of the Valley of Tears, and the cost of each episode reaching one million dollars.
Synopsis
On October 6, 1973, the Yom Kippur War broke out, when Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise invasion and almost defeated Israel on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur. The story is told from the perspective of three characters, thrown into the heart of battle and war, whose effects are intoxicating and addictive.
Cast
Main
Aviv Alush as Lieutenant Yoav Mazoz
Shahar Tavoch as Corporal Avinoam Shapira
Maor Schwitzer as Corporal Melakhi Bardugo
Ofer Hayoun as Corporal Marco Dolzi
Imri Biton as Corporal Jackie Alush
Omer Perelman Striks as Staff Sergeant Nimrod Caspi
Joy Rieger as Lieutenant Dafna Hirshberg
Lior Ashkenazi as Meni Ben-Dror
Lee Biran as Private Yoni Ben-Dror
Recurring
Ido Bartal as Lieutenant Aviram
Ami Smolartchik as Bentzi
Lidor Edri as Riki Dolzi
Ofri Biterman as Lieutenant Elad
Tom Gal as Staff Sergeant Fiksman
Ohad Knoller as Colonel Meir Almogi
Tom Hagi as Sergeant Shendori
Tom Avni as Captain Tamir
Production
Production started on July 21, 2019, with filming in Hebrew. It was Israel's highest-budgeted program, with Deadline Hollywood reporting that each episode cost around $1 million. A number of "the most prominent Israeli novelists in Israel" were involved in the script. It was produced by WestEnd Films, Endemol Shine Israel, United King and KAN. Before filming began, there were ten years of development with Moshe Edery at United King. After the ten years needed to get the process fully financed, the filming took place in the Golan Heights. At one point, filming was stopped for three weeks due to nearby fighting in Syria.
The cost was attributed to the battle scenes and also the creatives hired for the project. For filming, Ron Leshem and Amit Cohen "studied Israeli army lingo and thousands of soldier testimonies. They also found and rehabilitated tanks that were actually used in the war with the help of Israel Defense Forces technicians, who outfitted them with new engines."
Episodes
Reception
Release of the series in Israel prompted what The New York Times described as "an intense public reckoning with the scope of war trauma and the treatment of survivors" by exposing a younger generation to battlefield sacrifices and reliving a period so painful that Israeli culture rarely deals with it. The series focused new attention on war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and also generated criticism for historical inaccuracies.
Release
On October 13, 2020, distributor WestEnd Films announced it had sold global rights to the series to HBO Max. It began streaming on HBO Max in the United States on November 12.
Hollywood Suite announced in November 2020 that it had acquired broadcast rights to the series in Canada, with broadcasts beginning December 19. This comes despite HBO Max's acquisition of global rights, as in most cases the Canadian rights to these programs are assumed by Crave.