My Mexican Shivah

Morirse esta en Hebreo

Director: Alejandro Springall
Mexico 2006 102 mins
Language: Spanish/Hebrew/Yiddish with English subtitles

In Polanco, the Jewish quarter of Mexico City, Moishe Tartakovsky, a much loved patriarch, collapses and dies while dancing at a Jewish theatre group celebration. There is an immediate gathering for the funeral in Mexico City. After the burial, an eclectic group of family, friends, and even a Catholic exlover, gather for the shivah (the 7 day Jewish mourning ritual). They are wryly observed by a couple of Yiddish speaking ‘spirits’ who accompanied Moishe in his lifetime and are about to lead his soul on to the next world. Over the course of the next seven days of the shivah, secrets are disclosed; his embittered daughter acts out her grievances and his friends parade their quarrels for all to hear. If you can conceive of a shivah being a setting for humour then this charming and insightful comedy is not to be missed, with a wonderful music score performed by The Klezmatics.

Event / Themes: Comedy Family Matters Latin American Drama