Streaming Film Review by Diane McCurdy - October 2019

Don't be mislead by the title this is not a romantic comedy about lovers frolicking in the waves. It is a thriller about a deserted Italian resort on the Red Sea that becomes a front for a Mossad run rescue mission. There are times when the truth is stranger than fiction and this story is so bizarre one could not make it up. The basic facts are true. Israeli agents smuggle out Ethiopian Jews who are in refugee camps in the Sudan and bring them to the resort where offshore boats ferry them to Jerusalem. They have to be taken out surreptitiously because Sudan gets a per capita stipend from the United Nations for keeping them locked up. To add to the intrigue, Sudan is in the midst of a civil war. How this isolated community of Ethiopian Jews settled in this desolate area where they have suffered famine and where they have been persecuted lies in the murky ancient history of the Diaspora.

To begin with, the whole scheme is considered reckless at its inception by all concerned. His cohorts consider Ari, whose idea it is, to be headstrong and impulsive. Back in Israel, Ari must answer to the suits who are equally if not more skeptical than his crew. But no one can come up with a viable alternative. As a wry twist to this desperate situation, it appears that someone forgot to remove the brochures for the resort and a group of German tourists shows up. They must be accommodated or the cover for the whole operation will be blown.

Reluctantly in charge of all this is Ben Kingsley in Jerusalem. Ben seems to be ubiquitous of late. He has five or six projects pending. In his long career, he has been involved in over one hundred film projects from Schindler's List to the voice of Bagheera, the black panther, in Jungle Book. He won an Oscar for Gandhi. In this, he mostly just frets and stews while the others on the ground dodge bullets. Ari is played by Chris Evans. Chris is best known as Captain America in Marvel's Avenger series. His role here makes him Captain Israel, a modern-day Moses! Alessandro Nivola and Greg Kinnear as the American ambassador round out the more notable members of the cast.

The criticism has been that this is just another "white savior" movie. However some white savior types are actually saviors. The film examines a little known historical event that happened in the '80s and has recently been de-classified. It is suspenseful and well-executed. Stream it at your convenience on Netflix.