KISS ME KOSHER

Shirel Peleg | GERMANY & ISRAEL| 2020 | 101 min | HEBREW & GERMAN S.-T.EN.

With the polish of a blockbuster and the thoughtfully political script of an indie film, this dramedy about an Israeli woman, her German girlfriend, and their two very different families growing – and clashing – together reveals the realities and romanticisms with which we structure our identities.

Israeli bar owner Shira (Moran Rosenblatt, of the pearly smile and sparkling personality) is besot with her new German girlfriend, Maria (Luise Wolfram, a master of flustered dignity). The trouble is, as Maria finds out after accidentally proposing, many women have been in her shoes. It turns out that Shira has a history of loving hard and leaving easily. This history becomes entangled in a mess of others, from the personal to the societal, which Shira’s family hashes out over meals and that her bungling brother, Liam (Eyal Shikratzi), tries to capture for his school documentary, muddling already edgy situations. This fast-talking, quadrilingual ensemble piece is as bold as it is astute, offering audiences an enchanting balance that underscores the film’s main theme of resolving differences, while offering enough belly laughs and touching scenes to make even the most jaded moviegoer smile…as it all implodes.