Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets

Play trailer 1:05 Poster for TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets Sep 2025 1h 15m Documentary War Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 7 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
TORN explores the controversy surrounding the "KIDNAPPED" poster campaign--a grassroots effort to raise awareness about hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. These posters quickly became polarizing symbols, sparking street-level clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine activists across New York City. The film unpacks the motivations of those who put up and tore down the posters, illuminating the deeper ideological battles unfolding thousands of miles from the actual conflict.

Critics Reviews

View More (7)
Erik Reeds Spectrum Culture TORN is so tepid, it’s unclear whether this is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, hiding its power level of pro-Israel sentiments, or if it’s just lackadaisically tone-deaf. Sep 11, 2025 Full Review Nora Lee Mandel Maven's Nest With high emotional quotient, Shapira’s in-depth look at reactions in 1st months is a useful reminder of the shock and initial confrontations. Insights include the creators of red-framed posters, distraught relatives and friend of murdered and kidnapped. Rated: 7/10 Sep 7, 2025 Full Review Christopher Campbell Nonfics (Substack) Torn: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets should serve as a reminder that images (including text) can contain multitudes. In support of its own theme, though, the film’s statement shall be divisive. That only proves it’s a success. Sep 4, 2025 Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru Illuminating, compelling and heartfelt. Aug 31, 2025 Full Review Stephen Silver The SS Ben Hecht A fine documentary about the phenomenon of people tearing down posters of the hostages in Gaza, and a rare post-October 7 nonfiction film that gives everyone their say. Jul 17, 2025 Full Review Christian Toto HollywoodInToto.com Compelling look at those who tore down posters of kidnapped men, women and toddlers. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 16, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (10)
Judy L Excellent Documentary. Still hard to understand why people would tear down photos of people taken hostage by a terrorist organization. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/21/25 Full Review Elizabeth C A very powerful movie.Fantastically produced and narrated. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/21/25 Full Review Irv O It was so interesting to hear from the artists who actually created these posters — and also to see how posters that were desectrated also evolved into a different kind of art. This gave the film structure I had not anticipated. It is an incredible snapshot of this difficult time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/17/25 Full Review Joan B A thoughtful and powerful documentary. Absolutely a must-see. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/17/25 Full Review ELI N A lackluster attempt at documenting what does seem like a narrative heavy moment. The October 7 documentary is already overrepresented, and this one in its trepidation fails to stand out from the batch. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/16/25 Full Review Alessandro Hillel Z “This should be in classrooms, community centers, synagogues, mosques — everywhere people have stopped talking. I’m not exaggerating when I say TORN changed the way I look at my city. I walk past those same walls every day, but now I see them differently. The posters may be gone, but the wounds are still there. Nim Shapira managed to make something that’s both deeply specific and totally universal — a film about posters that ends up being about the soul of New York, and maybe of all of us.” Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/11/25 Full Review Read all reviews
TORN: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Kiss the Future 100% 98% Kiss the Future Watchlist Rule of Two Walls 100% % Rule of Two Walls Watchlist TRAILER for Rule of Two Walls 20 Days in Mariupol 100% 97% 20 Days in Mariupol Watchlist Apocalypse '45 100% % Apocalypse '45 Watchlist TRAILER for Apocalypse '45 2000 Meters to Andriivka 93% % 2000 Meters to Andriivka Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis TORN explores the controversy surrounding the "KIDNAPPED" poster campaign--a grassroots effort to raise awareness about hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. These posters quickly became polarizing symbols, sparking street-level clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestine activists across New York City. The film unpacks the motivations of those who put up and tore down the posters, illuminating the deeper ideological battles unfolding thousands of miles from the actual conflict.
Director
Nimrod Shapira
Producer
Nimrod Shapira
Distributor
Hemdale Film Corp. / Hannover House
Production Co
Metallux Studios, CRC Media
Genre
Documentary, War
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 5, 2025, Limited
Runtime
1h 15m