ARTS&LIFE
POP CULTURE

A 

new reality-TV sensation, a raunchy 
indie-film spin on shivahs and a rare 
glimpse into Turkey’s Jewish com-
munity made a big splash in 2021, while else-
where, old favorites (Curb Your Enthusiasm, 
Jeopardy!, West Side Story) made big impacts 
in the Jewish world. The Jewish Telegraphic 
Agency covered every twist and turn that 
kept us entertained and enlightened during 
this difficult year. Here are the greatest hits 
of 2021.

MOVIES
A bold new voice in Jewish filmmaking 

emerged this spring: Emma Seligman’s inde-
pendent dark comedy Shiva Baby follows a 
drifting college student who attends a shivah 
along with her clueless family, disapproving 
strangers, bitter ex-girlfriend … and sugar 
daddy. The future cult hit has been nominat-
ed for an Independent Spirit Award for best 
microbudget feature of the year, and success-
fully launched the career of its 26-year-old 
writer-director. 
Minyan, directed by Eric Steel, was another 
fresh take on a Jewish story: a queer coming-
of-age tale set among the Soviet Jewish ref-
ugee communities of 1980s Brighton Beach. 

Starring Broadway star Samuel H. Levine, it 
was — in my estimation — the best Jewish 
movie of the year.
Three major Oscar contenders this year 
have Jewish ties: Steven Spielberg and Tony 
Kushner’s remake of West Side Story once 
again poses the question of who should 
make the musical; Licorice Pizza stars Jewish 
rock musician Alana Haim as a young 
Jewish aspiring actress in the 1970s; and The 
Tragedy of Macbeth marks the solo directing 
debut for Joel Coen, one-half of the greatest 
Jewish filmmaking duo of the modern era. 
Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, a 
celebration of midcentury print journalism 
and Francophilia rendered in the filmmak-
er’s distinctive style, included its fair share 
of nods to real-life Jewish intellectuals — 
and an explicitly Jewish character.
The Vigil is a horror movie set in the 
Orthodox community, focusing on the 
mazzik, a Biblical demon. Director Keith 
Thomas spoke to JTA about how the film’s 
Talmudic terrors came together.
A filmed version of the smash-hit 
Broadway musical Come From Away, a Sept. 
11 story created by Jews and featuring 
Jewish themes, premiered on Apple TV+ 
for the 20-year-anniversary of the attacks.
A real-life Jewish gangster gets his due — 

Jewish film and TV had quite 
the ‘Unorthodox’ year. 

2021’s 
Greatest 
Hits

40 | JANUARY 6 • 2022 

ANDREW LAPIN JTA.ORG

Benicio del Toro, 
center, as painter 
Moses Rosenthaler, 
and Léa Seydoux, 
right, as the pris-
on guard Simone 
in The French 
Dispatch. 

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

