The film Folktales takes viewers into the journey of several teenagers as they experience a life-changing year and move into adulthood. This documentary takes place at Pasvik Folk High School in northern Norway where the students learn more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic. They learn about themselves, life, and how to grow as a person.

The “Norns” in Norse mythology are the deities weaving fate and shaping humans’ futures. These students get an unconventional lesson in learning about themselves and what life might have in store for them. They learn how to cope, how to believe in themselves, and they gain self-confidence, which is what most of them lack when they arrive.

They all experience life-changing lessons that will have an effect on them forever. These teens learn about how to take care of animals, how to hunt, how to survive in the wilderness, and much more.

Sled dogs are part of the school. The students must take care of their dogs, show them love and compassion, and learn how to hook them up and drive their sled through the Arctic wilderness. It’s not as easy as it looks. These Alaskan Huskies also become their companions as the teens bond with them and, spoiler alert, are heartbroken when one of them dies. It’s a touching scene.

The scope of the year brings the teenagers closer to the land, animals, and each other. They are completely different when it comes to personalities. Some are very shy, some are confused about life, and others grab onto life with gusto. But combining these very different personalities in a remote location with situations in which they would probably never find themselves if they hadn’t come to the school, is a lesson in life itself.

By the time they graduate they are more confident in themselves and what they can accomplish. It is inspiring and the film tells their stories in a way that captures the attention of viewers. The cinematography blends with the students’ activities and their growth as they take this incredible journey to adulthood. They came to the school as teens without any real direction in their lives, and they left with compassion, self-assurance, and a new perspective on life and the world.

Folktales opens in theaters August 1, 2025. It was filmed in Norway and includes both English and Norwegian dialogue.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Images courtesy Magnolia Pictures

Guns & Moses stars Mark Feuerstein as a small-town Hasidic Rabbi whose world is shattered by gunfire.

During a gala to honor Alan Rosner (Dermot Mulroney), a respected member of the small Jewish community and a solar farm entrepreneur, there is a horrific shooting at the event that puts them all on edge. With antisemitism violence around the world, this little town of High Desert, California is now the big news across the country. Several white supremacist groups in the town are in the crosshairs and the police arrest Clay Gibbons (Jackson A. Dunn), the main suspect, a young man who has previously called the holocaust a hoax.

When it comes down to it, Rabbi Mo’s compassion and intellect wins over young Gibbons who was initially thought to be Rosner’s killer. The kid realizes his views about the holocaust and Jews are incorrect, thanks to the personal story of holocaust survivor Sol Fassbinder (Christopher Lloyd).

But Rabbi Moses Zaltzman is not convinced the kid is the assassin of his friend. He has a deep conviction that the real killer is still on the loose. So, when more Jewish men start getting killed, he knows there is something more to these murders and begins to investigate the connection between the victims, other than their religion.

The Rabbi’s five children are worried that they are in danger, however he believes there is much more to uncover and assures them they will be safe. The security guard for the congregation thinks otherwise. She is tough and always prepared. Brenda Navarro (Gabrielle Ruiz) instructs the Rabbi and his wife how to handle guns for their own protection. After all, she cannot be with them at all times so they should know how to safely handle and shoot the weapons. He is apprehensive about shooting a gun but relents, as does his wife.

The Mayor (Neal McDonough) is still convinced the murders are due to antisemitism and vows to keep the Jewish community safe. With the police hunting down clues, the community and the Rabbi’s family are concerned.

Then the Rabbi himself is a target of neo-Nazis and that points the investigation to the white nationalists. But even so, the Rabbi is still not convinced that the murders were due to religion. The attack on him was, but he was not killed, so he puts his clues together to get to the bottom of the killings.

When things go awry for the Rabbi, all his tactical training comes into play – thanks to Navarro.

The investigation is intricate and soon the Rabbi gets to the bottom of it all, albeit with shocking results.

If you thought the shootout at the OK Corral was something, wait until you see this one!

Guns & Moses delivers a strong Jewish hero who keeps his compassion but when it comes down to it, he will do what is right, and yes, use his gun. It’s an interesting story with some twists along the way. Plus there is plenty of action.

The film is rated R and opens in theaters July 18, 2025.

A statement from Director Salvador Litvak –

• My wife/writing partner Nina and I conceived Guns & Moses in the wake of the 2019 Chabad synagogue shooting in Poway, California. I attended Lori Gilbert-Kaye’s funeral, interviewed Rabbi Goldstein for my Jewish learning platform Accidental Talmudist, and watched as he became a national figure. We knew that antisemitic attacks would remain relevant, but we never imagined that the worst violence since the Holocaust would occur on October 7, 2023 during post-production of our film. Nor did we imagine the horror of politicians, professors, students and agitators spewing Jew-hatred publicly since October 8.
• These events were unimaginable, but not shocking. I grew up with two Holocaust survivors in my home – my grandmother Magda, and my mom Kati, whom Magda carried as an infant through a concentration camp. My grandfather was murdered in a different camp. I heard from my family a thousand times that it could and would happen again. Maybe in Europe, I thought, but not in America. I was wrong, and I came to see that before 10/7. We’ve been in danger for a long time, and we can’t rely on others to protect us. 
• I did not grow up around guns. Like many American Jews, I didn’t consider the Second Amendment to be very important. As an adult, however, I became an Orthodox Jew – which is to say a visible Jew – and I grew increasingly aware of the danger to our community. I stepped up and became a guardian. Rabbi Mo’s firearms training in Guns & Moses mirrors the training I received in Magen Am, a licensed and volunteer armed-security force that protects our houses of worship. Thank God, I’ve never had an incident, and I pray I never will. 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.