OCTOBER 12 • 2023 | 67
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boisterous and screwball family
are supportive of the upcoming
nuptials, Posnansky has a differ-
ent attitude.
Scarred by memories of
the Holocaust, she has an
unwavering dislike and dis-
trust for Germans. Shalev’s
grandmother proves to be the
couple’s biggest obstacle as she
hurls stereotypes at Muller,
generally right in front of
Shalev.
Still, Muller faces pressure
from other directions as well.
While supportive of the plans
to marry, Ron Shalev (John
Carroll Lynch), Shira’s father,
pushes the idea of converting
and getting married by a rabbi
upon Muller.
Shalev’s siblings, Ella and
Liam, aren’t much help either.
Words are twisted and turned,
and Liam’s school project of
filming a documentary on
the couple only backfires as it
causes more chaos and disin-
tegration within the family.
Yet in the meantime,
amongst the stereotypes, fights
and often misguided percep-
tions, Posnansky is secretly
dating Hamati, the Palestinian
doctor, once again challenging
stereotypes that continue to
plague Israel to this day.
Is Posnansky being unfair
and hypocritical? While the
answer is a resounding yes,
time and unfortunate situa-
tions (such as a car crash that
lands both Shalev and Muller
in the hospital, only to be
treated by Hamati), melt away
the tensions.
The one-hour and 41-min-
ute film finally culminates
in a wedding, but it’s not the
one everyone expected. As
the rom-com closes out, and
after Posnansky and Hamati’s
relationship is finally revealed
to the family, the elder pair get
married.
As for the future of Shalev
and Muller, who have a brief
falling out, viewers are left
wondering about their path —
but feeling confident in their
love for one another.
While the Jewish-German
and Israeli-Palestinian ste-
reotypes are a little tired but
true, the debut film from
Venezuelan-born, Israel-raised
and German-based Peleg does
a solid job of exploring the
nuances (and prejudices) of
each culture.
Still, the film is almost
entirely dialogue, which drags
out at times and revisits the
same stereotypes over and
over. There is also little chem-
istry between the two couples,
a palpable pitfall that often
takes away from what could be
a beautiful story.
At times, Kiss Me Kosher
feels dry and emotionless, and
viewers are left wishing Muller
would take more action to
stand up for herself amidst the
moments of prejudices, pressure
and misconceptions hurled her
way by the Shalev family.
More often than not, Muller
simply stands there, reacting
little if at all.
Could the film benefit from
more emotion and action?
Definitely. Yet it still manag-
es to be a delightful comedy
full of unexpected twists and
turns.
Scenes from
Kiss Me Kosher