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