Our Boys is the story of three Jewish teenagers who were kidnapped and murdered.

HBO is no stranger to powerful and unsettling stories. The latest story is an Israeli drama titled Our Boys. Co-produced by Keshet Studios and HBO, Our Boys debuted on August 12 and is a drama about the aftermath of three Jewish teenagers who were kidnapped and murdered. The three teenagers were targeted by Hamas militants in Israel in the summer of 2014. In fact, a mere two days after the boys were kidnapped, Mohammed Abu Khdeir was killed.

The story is being told because it is a sensitive one both politically and emotionally. The story is told from the viewpoint of Mohammed (Ram Masarweh) and an investigator who works for the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency.

The show was created by Tawfik Abu Wael, a Palestinian filmmaker; Joseph Cedar, an Israeli director; and writer Hagai Levi, co-creator of Showtime’s The Affair.

So I have a few things to say about the new HBO series “Our Boys”. It is about the kidnapping and the murder of 3 young #Jewish boys and the revenge that came after that. Those Young boys who did absolutely nothing wrong were brutally murdered. 1/8 pic.twitter.com/dHljDaDlGN — ??Michal Mizrachi???? (@MforMICHAL) August 14, 2019

Our Boys doesn’t make any concessions for its international audience. It is a show which is unapologetically Israeli. It’s a show which brings with it a country which is facing a geographical and cultural rift. In Israel, rival cultures, as well as ideologies, are always crashing into each other. The show explores the issues that many Arabs and Jews face on a daily basis, Arab vs Jew, secular vs religious, Islam vs Christianity, and so on.

The Hollywood Reporter has called the show “misery porn.” However, many have also called it one of the most painful but rewarding shows of the year. Our Boys explores the perspectives of the people who had to solve the crime as well as deal with the aftermath of it.

The story is much more than the story of the three kidnapped Israeli teenagers. The show deals with what happens when the streets of West Jerusalem demand vengeance and blood.

Our Boys doesn’t send just a single powerful message. It sends many messages about the plight of the Israeli people and tiptoes around real issues that they face.

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