Review: Lior Raz Film Casts Israelis as Villains, but Stops Short of Political Lecturing

The Israeli release of “The Pianist’s Assistant” brings Lior Raz back to local theaters, after the film already played in the United States. It comes amid a busy weekend for Israeli stars abroad, with Gal Gadot appearing in Netflix’s global rollout of “In the Hands of Dante,” though the review notes that current conditions may limit future opportunities for Israelis overseas.

The film is an English-language indie thriller written by Robert Ramsey and Daniel Roher, with Roher directing his first narrative feature after winning an Oscar for the documentary “Navalny.” Its lead is Leo Woodall, better known from “The White Lotus” and “Nuremberg,” while Raz plays Uri, an Israeli in New York who leads a gang of safecrackers. The review says Uri is portrayed as crude, money-driven, and broadly unpleasant, while his two Israeli subordinates, played by Gil Cohen and Nisan Skir, are given more nuance despite less screen time.

The plot follows a former piano prodigy who now tunes pianos in New York because he became hypersensitive to sound. Under the guidance of a veteran in the field, played by Dustin Hoffman, he meets a rising young pianist, Ruthie, played by Havana Rose Liu, and the two begin a romance. The lead later crosses paths with the Israeli thieves, who realize his sharp hearing can help with their robberies. Needing money, he joins them, only to discover it is the worst decision of his life.

The review argues that the film’s most notable choice is its political restraint: it presents Israelis as contemptible, but does not explicitly tie that to the Israel Defense Forces, colonialism, genocide, or influence on Congress. It also says the film elevates Jewish North American characters, including those played by Hoffman and Tovah Feldshuh, as decent, talented, and kind, in stark contrast to Raz’s character. Despite the criticism of its heavy symbolism and over-structured script, the reviewer calls it entertaining, well made, and distinctive as a rare adult drama built on an original screenplay.